Broken Memories
by Jinjing
Summary: An immortal child with an intricate forgotten past and an useful ability is taken in by the volturi. Will she be able to achieve what is expected of her? Or will her she be ruined by her own past and shortcomings?
1. Chapter 1

**My first fanfic. I ****do not**** own any of Stephanie Meyer's characters. If I did I would be rich and be relaxing on a cruise ship but I'm not. The only characters that belong to me are Calandra, Terrence, Jonathan, Andrea and any others that do not show up in the twilight saga. I also ****do not**** the image for the cover of the story.**

**Chapter 1: Field of memories **

To normal people, the cloaked caravan of people passing by was ominous but normal for a rainy day at a cemetery. But for one frail child, this was worse than anything that she had seen. Many of the mourners were gone since nobody wanted to stay in an old cemetery at night. This provided an opportunity to swiftly destroy the little girl who stood under a dead willow tree. The more muscular man of the group was shifting side to side more out of excitement than nerves, as they approached the girl. When they were close enough to the tree, they could hear the quick, shallow breath of the child. From her bloodshot eyes, it was apparent that she was in shock.

"Poor little thing, she looks so cute!" A girl with fair skin, whiter than snow, chuckled. As soon as she spoke the child jumped and sprinted behind the dead willow's frozen trunk. Her hand had barely brushed the tree when silver flakes, almost like moths, appeared attaching themselves to the tree. As it spread, the first flakes peeled off revealing the petrified bark. In only a matter of seconds the willow tree had been devoured by the silver snow and stood petrified. The wind had blown softly but turned some of the gangly branches into dust. Any hope of reviving the tree was gone.

"Is that little monster still cute, Andrea? She can bring instant death by simply making contact with your skin. Now wear your gloves before I decide to take them from you and watch you die." The lean man, the apparent leader of the group, snapped. All of the cloaked people exchanged cold glances. This was not going to be a simple task anymore.

"You have to admit, Terrence, she is beautiful. Oh, and how could you live without me? Always cooped up in your room trying to sleep like humans, without me you would be bored to death." Andrea sniggered. She had a point for once; there was something charming about the child's innocent looks.

She had to be at least four or five, with silky black hair, angled down from the back of her thin neck to her delicate collar bone. Bangs parted to both sides of her face hung above her eyes which were like small emeralds. If you looked into them hard enough you could see another world. One where everything hung in a balance that was just as delicate as she was. The inner machinations of this world swung like trapeze artists. Red islands that were almost black disrupted the green world. They dashed back and forth across the world accessing the situation. She had no bags under her eyes. Her skin was a pale but not like others. It had life to it. The thin, white sundress she wore took away from her innocent looks with its tattered hem and the prominent blood stains. One of the shoulder straps looking like it had been ripped by a wolf fell off her shoulder revealing her only imperfection. A scar that reached from her left shoulder blade to her hip. It was not only visible physically but the emotional scar was clear to everyone.

"Well it will be a great victory for vampires today. This is the last of those immortal children. Felix, Andrea are you ready? Be careful she has more powers than that." commanded Terrence.

Felix stopped fidgeting and smiled with an all too bubbly "yes". Andrea flashed a look of worry and then gave a sigh and a nod. She really didn't want fight this Immortal child since it killed her one true love only two weeks ago.

_()()()()()()()()()()_

_"Wait up, God, I can't run that fast!" yelled a lady. She was trying to keep up with her companion, a man her age with burnt auburn hair. He had to be at least a foot taller than her. With his long legs and speed, he easily out ran her. Although she was yelling, he never stopped. "JONATHAN, ARE YOU FRICKIN' DEAF!" Now her yelling had turned into an ear piercing scream. He paused, debating whether he wanted to face her wrath now or face it later when she would be twenty times angrier with him. His question was answered when he received a swift punch in his back. _

_"Ow! That hurt Andy, gosh I'm going to have a bruise for weeks!" he said in his usual sarcastic voice. _

_"Do you always have to be such a sarcastic jerk?" she choked out through her tears. At first, he felt sorry for her until he looked in her eyes and saw the smirking glint. Of course, she would use her acting skills to trick him into feeling guilty. Before she realized he saw through her façade, he shook her. "Aaaah! Okay okay! Stop shaking me! Put me down NOWWWWW." she screeched. _

_"Okay! Going down. No, actually, it's going up above the clouds." Before she could say another word, he tossed her up high into the air. She had to have at least gone up fifteen feet. For a few seconds she was scared, but then she relaxed reminding herself she couldn't die with him there. As fast as she was tossed, she found herself in his arms. How silly was she to think she could die? He was a vampire after all he would never let her fall. As they looked at each other, he slowly put her down and smiled._

_"Isn't it beautiful Andy? Just imagine once your turned we can live over there forever together."_

But we didn't. He had let her fall after all the times he caught her. After he died the life in her died too. Everyone in the guard had thought that she had recovered, but that was only her ability. She hid her pain, everyday putting on an act. The tears she once pretended to cry were more than real. Though, now she couldn't cry physically, she could feel them tear her up. The only reason why she was this way was right in front of her. This immortal child, so small and fragile, yet it had taken two souls in one blow. This child had not hurt him. No, Jonathan wanted to protect it. When he died, he told her to make sure this child lived. Somehow, his will for this child lived on with her. This made her more miserable, as her instinct to kill this little monster while she felt a love like a mother to her daughter for this child.

"Andrea, don't daydream now."

Quickly Andrea snapped out of her daze to see Felix being flung into the river that ran near the tree. She panicked. Felix had never been flung. What surprised everyone was who had flung him. Yes this was an immortal child but she looked so weak. She was on her knees panting. There was a puddle of blood.

Andrea shivered at the sight of the stained ground. The child had probably coughed it up. Why were they trying to kill this kid? What had she done wrong? The fact this child was alive was her crime. Andrea started to hyperventilate, as if it was even possible.

"What's wrong Andrea?"

She looked up to see Terrence and another guard member were looking at her, panicked. She had to think fast to at least save this little girl's life for a bit longer.

"What are we doing? This is an immortal child! There's no way we'll be able to fulfill our mission without revealing ourselves!" There was a silent pause until it was interrupted by the quick breathing of the child.

"Well, I think Andrea's right for once." Felix sighed then smiled while he wrung out his cloak. There was a murmur of agreement. If Andrea's heart had been alive it would be pounding.

"So what do we do now? It's impossible to touch her without being killed. Unless… Andrea would you be able to convince her?" She had to laugh a bit silently. Terrence wanted her to use her power now. She had been using it all along. The power to convince anyone just by acting. Ever since she was born, she had been able to act well. When she turned into a vampire, it turned into the power of being able to act like something she wasn't. She could convince anyone of what she wasn't. This was her chance to save the child.

"I'll try." She said softly. Though, she was confident in her power she knew that the most powerful vampires could see through it. Only Aro, Marcus, and Caius had been able to see through it. She had never tried it on an immortal child.

She approached the kid slowly. The child did not run. All it did was stay there. "Hi, I'm sorry for what Felix tried to do to you. He just gets too excited when he meets a new member to our family"

The little girl just sat there and stared at Andrea with those piercing green eyes. She paused a few moments to check if her guard was down. It had lowered, but it wasn't at a trusting level. "Oh, you must be confused why I'm calling you family. The leader of our coven wants you to join us" Her eyes looked at Andrea with a skeptical look, then it turned harsh. She had seen through it.

Andrea panicked. She had to find a way to convince the little girl to go. With her instincts taking over, she grabbed the little girl's arm without her gloves and said "listen, Jonathan has wanted you to live. I can't explain it in detail, but you trusted him didn't you? I want you to trust me also. If you go with these people you won't be killed. Please just live." Like what happened with the tree the silver snow traveled up Andy's arm. In an instant both her mind and the child's where connected. She felt the child's steady heart beat. In the girl's pulse, she could hear what seemed the child's voice screaming "I want to live!" Andrea then saw Jonathans face and knew what she wanted to do. This child wanted to live while; all she wanted was to be with Jonathan. She would give her life up.

Andrea looked up and saw an ebony crow sitting on the tree. The last thing she would see before she died.

_**Please review**_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Forgetting the memory

As everyone was waiting in the great hall for the immortal child team to return, all that could be heard was Aro's bony fingers tapping on his throne. None of the guard members wanted to make a move or speak. It was painfully obvious that this was one of his bad days. Although Aro was the head of the Volturi, when outsider vampires were gone, he acted like a sniveling child. This drove Marcus and Caius mad. When Aro started acting like this, it was usually Marcus and some unlucky guard member that was his target. Today, it was Marcus' turn to be targeted. Hoping to go under the radar, Marcus slunk in but to no avail.

"MARCLE SPARKLE! I'M TIRED I WANT A COOKIE AND SOME MILK AND BACON AND…" Aro continued on. Marcus knew he couldn't give any of those things to Aro. If he did he would have vampire barf on his bed. Also, he just finished cleaning his room from last time.

He shuddered. it had been horrible. Aro had been on his little "let's try and seduce Marcus spree". After that one Sulpicia went on a wrecking spree.

Marcus looked at the wall behind his chair. There was a big gaping hole that was the shape of the newest guard member, Adede. Her name described her perfectly. She was fast and small like a grasshopper, except for the fact of the grasshopper part. As soon as Sulpicia threw Adede, Heidi went nuts. All that he could guess was that Heidi had adopted Adede as her 'daughter'. Marcus finally made his way to his seat and slumped down.

"Aro, shouldn't we be waiting for the team" Caius asked casually.

"I'm tired of waiting it's been so long. Where are they? France isn't that far away." Aro's voice got higher every second. It was partially true. The team of fifty had been dispatched seven days earlier. Then again, it was an immortal child that had somehow escaped the Volturi for centuries. The longer Marcus began to think, the more panicked he became. What if they had been exposed or that child wiped the whole team out? But just as his anxiety grew, their human secretary of the week, Cecilia, popped in out of breath.

"Master, the team has come back with the child." The tension that was had already been there had increased. They had been sent to kill it not bring it back.

"Well, bring them in, let's see them." Aro commanded

Both Caius's and Marcus's gaze met, the once crybaby, Aro, had been replaced by his cold, heartless side. Slowly Felix and Terrence walked through the door. "Terrence, Felix, where's Andrea?" Aro asked coolly.

Alec's POV

"She was killed master, by the child," Terrence choked out. It was obvious that it was a ghastly incident. Just by the expressions on the lower vampires' faces.

"How?"

"She said that it would be easier if we convinced the child to come back here and then kill her. Everyone agreed. The child had just thrown Felix into a river nearby. Also, when we approached her she hid behind a tree and touched it. As soon as she touched it, a silver snow devoured the tree. It would be too dangerous to fight her there without being noticed. So, Andrea went over near to the child to try to use her power. It worked for a few seconds, but the girl saw through it. She was about to turn hostile but Andrea grabbed the child. Somehow they connected on a mental level. The silver snow slowly killed Andrea. After Andrea was dead the girl passed out." There was a long pause; everyone looked worried except for Jane and Alec.

"Well, this is very interesting. Can you put the child down, Felix?" Everyone's eyes darted to Felix's back where the girl lay. She wasn't passed out but she was obviously under Terrence's power of immobility. As Felix lay her down on the cool marble floor, she was released, but she just continued lie there.

"Felix, Terrence, you may go to the side. Now, little girl, could you tell me who you are?" Aro inquired. The child still lay there, breathing slowly and deeply. Jane automatically started to use her power. Everyone just stopped and waited for the little girl's screams, but she just kept lying there. Her eyes opened, boring right back at Jane. You could tell that she felt the pain but held it in till she couldn't take it any longer. Her mouth opened letting out a silent scream. A satisfied smile appeared on both Aro's and Jane's faces. Aro waved Jane off.

"Elezaer, could you please tell me what her power is." Aro said. Elezaer came forward and took another look at Calandra.

"Well, she actually has two; the first one is an adapting power. It changes depending on her surroundings and what she needs to survive. Then, her other one…" Elezaer paused. His brow furrowed then he continued "The other one is the ability to turn herself back into a human. All her vampire traits disappear, and she just lives like them. But... With more control she probably could make certain traits disappear. Right now, it seems she can only keep her adapting and strength with her"

"Does that mean she would be able to grow? Say she stays human for ten years, would she look exactly like she was fifteen years old, and would mean that when she turned back in the vampire she would be the same a fifteen year old girl?"

"I don't know. This is the first time I've seen this," stuttered Eleazar. What was Aro thinking? Immortal children were uncontrollable, and their appetites were impossible to sate. Just then, the girl raised her head so she was still on her side but sitting up. One of the rays of the sun shot through and hit her skin. It dazzled but differently; it sparkled like a diamond chandelier. The light reflected of her but she gave off her own light. It was a soft glow that was small but gave off a steady warm light.

Aro slowly got up and approached the girl. When Reneta tried to follow, he waved her off. Jane looked at Alec, puzzled beyond belief. Reneta was his shadow and protected him. He could hold his own in a fight but his importance to the existence of their coven was not worth risking him getting killed. Aro then asked, sighing like a Prima Donna "Could you please tell me your name? I am quite tired of using child, girl, and it."

"Calandra." Some were taken back at the clarity and softness of her voice. For Alec it seemed familiar, like he had heard it call his name so many times before. He had only chased after her a few times but never got close to her to really talk to her or hear her voice. This was probably the first time that she had seen him.

"Well, Calandra, what a beautiful name, too bad we don't know if you could grow or else you could have lived. Can you give me your hand?" Slowly, she gave him her hand.

_As soon as they touched all of them found themselves on a lush, French country side. Alec realized they were traveling through her memories. A burst of giggles could be heard from two small girls one about five years old, the other much older. The older one had brown springy curls. She had a crown of daisies in her hair. The other girl was Calandra except there were differences. The prominent scar on her back was gone; her destroyed dress was clean and bright. _

_"Calandra, tag you're it!" The other girl screamed. Alec watched these two girls run around playing tag until Calandra tagged the other girl. Both of them fell down, looking at the sky. Calandra then turned over on her stomach and looked at her friend._

_"Sophie" He turned back to watch the two little girls, just to see them in front of a straw home. "Sophie, can you promise me something?"_

_"What Calandra?"_

_"Will you always be my best friend?" _

_"mhhm, now can you promise not to tell anyone something?" Calandra looked down at the dirt. She nodded solemnly._

_"Yes"_

"_You know Daniel."_

"_Yes." Calandra said, confused by the statement. Daniel was a close friend of Sophie's, and she saw him regularly when she watched the sheep with the sisters. They never talked to each other but only watched the rocks that Daniel threw into the river._

"_I like him." Calandra grew even more confused by her friend's words. Sophie, not satisfied by Calandra's reaction continued on. "We're going to fall in love and get married when we're older." She paused again to see Calandra's response._

"_That's nice." Calandra really didn't know what else to say. She was a young girl it was not expected to have these feelings dominate her mind. _

_Sophie got up and sighed dramatically. "You are hopeless you know?" She threw her hands in the air and walked off._

_The memory started to race by. Alec could only see a few things pass by, like Calandra standing next to a river, and what Alec presumed was the Daniel boy. When it stopped, Calandra was at that same straw house sleeping in a bed of hay. Someone grabbed her sharply from her slumber. The man shoved a small wooden cross on her chest. Despite being the one who woke her, the man looked just as fearful as her. He carried her tightly across the fields and toward the source of the light that peeked through the trees. The sound of slow moving water could be heard as they came closer. _

_"It's ready," a woman said at the sight of Calandra and the man. She ran up toward them and took Calandra from him. Others seemed to rise from the shadows of the trees. They looked on in a mixture of fear and awe. The woman brought Calandra toward the river and set her down. Calandra turned rapidly trying to assess the situation. She looked up at the woman that set her down._

_"Sister Anaise? What's happening?" She whimpered. Anaise did not reply and walked away from her shaking her head. Calandra sat there in the dirt frozen in fear. Her chest heaved and her voice grew quiet as she choked on her tears. _

_"Why…" she whispered again. _

_"Because…" Calandra turned around quickly. It was quieter than her voice. Almost quiet enough to be mistaken as "just the breeze". It was too familiar though that lilt of the voice. But no one was there, only the river and the trees that crowded__ around the riverbed. _

_"Because you hear voices that no one else hears. You're possessed you will be the death of us all" It had to be Sophie._

"_You let the devil come into your home. You let him fill your head with the thoughts of sin. Living a life glorifying lies"_

_"Sophie, why?" Calandra didn't remember lying about anything to her. _

_"I'm tired of keeping these lies. You smile everyday with no hint of guilt. You think no one saw, but I did. You didn't stop until you beat the life out of-" The voice stopped trying to hold back the flood of emotions coming from the next few words. "I have to protect what's mine. To let them sit ignorant of the sleeping wolf at their table. I can't live like this." _

_"Ah!" Calandra screeched. The man from before came over and lifted her up. Her eyes scanned frantically for Sophie. She did not have much time for he quickly held her over the water. Rushed by her struggling, he said a quick prayer and then plunged her into the water._

_Caught off guard, water flooded her nose and throat. Combined with the water's shockingly cold temperature, Calandra flailed harder trying to escape. She grabbed for the man trying to stop her frightening situation. _

_In the dark night only lit by a single torch and the weak light of the crescent moon it was hard to see what exactly happened. The warm viscous liquid dripped down mixing with the icy water. Another outburst interrupted the "release her dark prince's" and pleas for divine help. The man reeled back in pain and pulled Calandra out of the water for a moment. She gasped for air but found she was falling back quickly to the ground._

_The water invaded farther this time rushing into her lungs. She choked trying to eject the water only to take on more. The chill ran through her body practically paralyzing her and numbing her brain. In a horrible but practical way of thinking, she did not suffer more when her head was cracked on the rocks in shallows of the river. _

_Under the water and the blood, the sky looked beautiful distorted. The stars… the stars were close and the moon shimmering like the silver fish she saw in the lake a few… they had some rosy scales… it was bright… and dark at the same time… _

"Stop!" Alec ran forward toward Calandra but he hadn't yelled out stop that was Jane and someone from Calandra's memory probably the one who turned her. The memory stopped and they found themselves back in the throne room. In the middle Alec was holding the girl in his arms. He was panting in cold sweat. Calandra's eyes were wide open. Her trapeze world was crumbling. Jane was standing right next to Alec just as shocked. Aro feeling no emotion at all just simply shrugged.

"Does it matter? She must die anyway" Aro said

"No, she is going to stay." Alec commanded. Aro was taken aback. Never had anyone seen Alec tell Aro what he was going to do. This impulse he had pushed him to fight back.

"No, we didn't make an exception for the others"

"Yes, but she had a power that makes her different. We'll never know if she would be able to defy the odds." An old croaky voice said. Everyone had a look of shock on their face. It was quiet again except for Calandra's breathing. This was the longest Marcus talked.

"But...Who will take care of her? Have you not forgotten she is a bloodthirsty vampire that has no sense of right or wrong?" Aro Asked.

"Aro, will you just shut up already! This is beneficial to all of us. I will raise her as my own daughter. I'll take care of her." Everyone, even Calandra, stopped breathing. Alec picked up Calandra and held her tighter. Jane stepped in front of Alec. She was ready if Aro went on his rage.

"Alec. Place her in the empty bedroom in the guard quarters. "Aro now looked away from the others, bored with the situation. Caius still sat looking upset that his plan to exterminate every single immortal child was now destroyed yet again by this one child.

Alec looked back at his sister who was going through her own confusion of her irregular actions. He helped Calandra up and escorted her out of the throne room. This child could not become a weakness for him. He needed to make sure that anything like what happened in there never happened again.

Please review


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: New Memory**

In her stupor, Calandra could feel her own abhorrence in herself. She had done many things to survive but acting like the little naïve child she used to be was low. The only relief she felt was that she could still live to see another day.

Now her only task was to make it to the room, where she could cough up a lung, and any other vital organ for that matter, in peace. Showing any type of weakness would send her to her death on the fine line she walked here.

Calandra looked up at her guide, hoping to see signs of them reaching their destination. All she saw was his back. Since they left, what she presumed was the throne room; he had not looked back at her. It was just a fleeting moment of compassion. From the reaction of the others, she could guess that Alec and the blonde hair woman were not known for their caring natures.

Alec. His name felt like she had called it so many times before. It was so familiar to her. She tried to think of all the people she could remember. There were no Alecs. Calandra felt her mind stop every time when she tried to think of the time in between the grave yard and her death.

Suddenly, she felt the world blur and fade. The sound of forest birds and the trees swaying with the breeze resounded in her ears. The stone floors of the castle turned to grass and dirt. His red eyes appeared full of concern, but then she found herself back in the stone stairwell. During her small episode, she had sunken against the wall clinging to it to keep her balance. His concerned eyes were replaced with ones that showed no concern or hate. Deciding that she was fine, he got up and continued on. Calandra stumbled after him.

"It isn't much farther. Please die there. It'll be easier to clean up the mess on flat ground." He said with much disinterest

Finally, what felt like eternity for her, ended as they entered a capacious room that was dominated by a fireplace across from them. A few vampires sat in the chairs neatly organized in the center of the room and the window sills of the tall arched windows. All the eyes locked on her with looks of wonderment and disgust that showed clearly upon their faces.

Mostly disgust though.

Alec pressed on, not acknowledging them. They turned left down a smaller hallway that branched off from the main room. At the very end, he stopped and pushed opened a door.

The room was not large nor small. It was modest in size. A bed with plain sheets and two chairs were the first things Calandra saw. She walked tentatively into the room, ready for Alec or someone else to jump out and rip her head off. Nothing came, and Alec brushed past her, disappearing through another doorway. He came back with a small bundle and plopped it down in her arms.

"Try to make yourself presentable." He walked out of the room without even looking at her.

With the door closed, Calandra was able to take a closer look at her new surroundings. A small bookshelf and dresser stood out of sight from the doorway. She wandered over to the bookshelf, leafing through the scant amount of books that resided on it. The sudden movement of the white curtains next to the bookshelf revealed that the two arched windows they concealed were really doors. Curiosity over took her and dragged her closer. She slid behind the white curtains and leaned against the glass doors softly so not to break it. Her Atramentous hair contrasted against the white curtains making it easy for someone to see her.

Outside the small balcony was a circular atrium. Below, there were flowers and small trees and other flora. A small fountain and statues stood in the middle. At the very top of its domed ceiling was a circular cut that let in a small amount of light. A yearning welled up in her heart to go see this atrium from the ground, but she would have to earn her keep here if she so much as wished to see anything. She continued to gaze out until voices floating up from below scared her back in. She rushed to the wall furthest away from the doors. She slid down, gripping her bundle tightly.

When the voices finally disappeared and she turned her head she was startled yet again by a little girl covered with fresh lacerations and obviously sick staring back at her.

Calandra had not realized how bad her wounds had really looked. Discomfiture took her at the thought of her appearance in front of all those people bothered her now. She looked down at the bundle. "_Make yourself presentable"….._

_()()()()()()()()()_

After many hours, Calandra was finally greeted with silence. It had to be nighttime for everyone to be away from their rooms. With already a small time frame for light to shine in the atrium, it was difficult to keep track of time. During those hours, she had been calculating and orienting herself-ultimately concluding that she had three days max to heal before even Marcus deemed her useless. Aro had probably already decided she was in the first hour.

She sat up on her bed and listened carefully. Her neighbor was most definitely gone by now. A few seconds ago, she had heard them give a muffled a cough and their door open. Now there wasn't any presence to be felt. She felt safer moving around when there was nobody to hear her and slid off her bed.

Hoping that her wounds had healed, she inspected herself in the mirror. She at least didn't look like she had been dragged in the dirt and tossed into a meat grinder anymore. The minor scratches no longer bled, and the scabs were smaller. Even with five days to heal, the large scar on her back was still fresh with pain. It throbbed just as she remembered it when the cut was inflicted. Fighting Felix had reopened it in places. The reactions from the other vampires told her that she was not imagining the severity of it. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, their sharp sight would see it. An angst ridden sigh escaped from her mouth.

_"NO… you will not mope. You are not a pathetic sniveling little bitch. If you moped every time something bad happened to you would be dead." _Calandra castigated herself silently.

With new found gusto, she put on the clothes given to her and peeked out her bedroom door. The hallway was empty. She really didn't want to encounter anybody while she was familiarizing herself with the castle.

The coast clear, Calandra walked back to the fireplace room. No one was there, giving her some relief. She walked into the stairwell and looked up and then down, trying to decide where she would go. Going up would mean that she would stumble back closer to the throne room. Her safest bet was to go down.

She stepped down, but at the same time, someone else started walking up from below. Fearful, she dashed up the stairs until she saw an open archway, which brought her into another maze of hallways and doors.

She pressed herself behind a couch waiting to see if they had followed her. The person's light footsteps continued walking up until they had passed her, and she sighed, brushing the dust and cobwebs that had resided behind the couch off of her dress.

Trying to memorize every single part of this castle was a daunting task, but she could never know when she would have to escape quickly. She started walking down one of the halls. Ornate steel chandeliers hung from the ceiling and lit up the halls with a bright candle light glow. Art collected throughout the centuries hung along walls.

She recognized some paintings of the French country side painted during her human life. She looked at the artist skillful strokes that were able to capture the lush countryside. The next hall was covered with windows on one side. They were like the ones in the fireplace room, long and receded into the wall. At the top and the bottom the window were stain glass patterns. All of it followed a pale color scheme. In human eyes it would seem colorless but with better sight the pale pigments were evident.

Calandra looked out one of the windows to see the sleeping city of Volterra. Cozy was a word that came to mind when one saw it. All the buildings squeezed together, and trees dotted the town. A clock tower rose above all the other buildings. It was not as dark as before and she could tell that it would only be maybe an hour or two before the sun would rise.

Deciding not to waste anymore time she whipped around only to run into someone's leg. Stumbling back ,she saw two female vampires. Her eyes refocused and were immediately caught by one of them.

She was at loss of words to describe the woman she ran into. Even the most talented artist would not be able to capture her beauty. She was the type of beautiful that even the gods pined to look like her. The way how her brown hair framed her face and crimson eyes like rubies entranced Calandra. Lips a beautiful vermillion, she could turn even vampires ugly when compared to her in comparison. Perfect, and splendid did no justice to describe her beauty. Calandra felt entranced by this woman. Calandra let her slender fingers cup her face. The woman brushed her hands attentively over Calandra's face like she was inspecting a gem for any imperfections.

"What a shame," she said with a charming voice that sounded like wind chimes. "I don't think fixing you up will hide that scar. Though-" She paused, "-I guess without it, you would be moderately pretty, but now your only average for a vampire. Those humans will say any vampire is beautiful.

"I don't know, Heidi. Those eyes are very unique. They seem like they could be very pretty." The other brunette said. She was also very beautiful, but next to the woman named Heidi, it was hard to tell.

Heidi let go of Calandra's face and turned to her companion."Yes, I guess. There was always something enchanting about the immortal children. Can you do anything?"

Calandra nodded her head eagerly yes, but then regretted it. Her singing talent was not the best. Maybe if she had dedicated more time to practice singing she would have been good, but surviving to see the next day had seemed more important.

She cleared her throat and let her voice flow out. She sang and old French folk song that her mother had sung to her when she was a toddler. The words and tone of her voice did not form as well as her mother had done. Her voice was not mature and sounded very childish. She cut the song short only singing a stanza.

Heidi closed her eyes analyzing the performance. "You're okay. At least you have potential, unlike your looks." Even with her sweet bell like voice the criticism cut Calandra like a knife.

"Heidi, please do not make it hard for me to get her to like it here." Chelsea said exasperated. She motioned to Calandra who was still in Heidi's entrancement.

"I'm sorry Chelsea I can't help that I'm gorgeous and like pretty things." Heidi said arrogantly. Chelsea rolled her eyes and left, dragging Heidi away.

With Heidi gone, Calandra snapped out of her trance. Her first encounter with another member by herself had not been horrible. All her appendages and digits were accounted for, so she took it as an automatic pass.

* * *

Calandra walked into what looked to be the library. Bookshelves lined the walls and desks and more bookshelves were organized in an orderly fashion. As she walked down the center aisle between the desks, her eyes wandered up to second story where behind the balcony lay more books. A pulchritudinous fresco was painted on the ceiling. Puckish cherubs and omnipotent gods resided between clouds.

"It was very awe-inspiring seeing the artist paint that fresco," a croaky voice said to her.

Calandra whirled around to see Marcus slouching in a chair surrounded by books. His face was still sepulchral as ever. He smiled slightly at her, so she walked over to him and leaned against the armrest of his chair.

"Have you met anyone in your wanderings?" he inquired, trying his best to be active.

"Yes. Heidi and Chelsea." Calandra replied. Marcus rubbed his forehead hearing their names.

"Ah yes those two…" He said. "Be nice to Chelsea. She is able to build relationship and loyalties. She usually will be able to get her way most of the time. If you're able to get on Heidi's good side she'll make sure you'll have a good meal." The conversation stopped awkwardly. The elephant in the room was too obvious. Marcus cleared his throat and then asked Calandra, "Calandra are you happy with this arrangement? I do realize that was an act back there."

Calandra's green eyes looked back at Marcus. She pondered for a bit before replying, "I would be content to have you as my father."

Even under his disinterested face, she could see a small burst of gaiety. He readjusted himself and picked up Calandra, placing her on his lap. "Have you ever heard of a man named Aristotle?"

Calandra shook her head no.

"He was a brilliant man, born about a thousand years after I was. Aro and I were able to save some of his works." Marcus opened up a scroll and began reading to her.

Calandra felt herself settle into Marcus's lap. He sat there with her, reading to her the different works of philosophers. They were interrupted by Alec who appeared later, telling Marcus his presence was requested by Aro.

Marcus picked up Calandra and placed her into Alec's arm. They both watched him go, then turned to each other. A long silence passed before Calandra started pushing away from Alec. She finally escaped from his grip and dropped to the ground like a cat. She brushed herself off and gave a defiant glare in return to Alec's usual apathetic pout. They walked side by side down the hallways until they met two other vampires.

"Oh ,Alec, there you are!" said Demetri. Alec walked over to them and silently joined them.

Calandra, grateful for her exclusion, daydreamed away. She felt herself relax until a sprig of dark brown hair peeked out of a column.

She cocked her head to the side in curiosity and crept forward toward the column. When she was on the other side, of the column Calandra peeked around it, coming face to face with a girl who had to be at least six or seven years older.

The girl reminded Calandra how short she was, even though the girl was maybe only seven years older than her. The girl had a saccharine face and crimson eyes. Her skin was much like her hair but a few shades lighter and the vampires' usual chalky pallor showed very little upon her. Otherwise she was unblemished.

They both stared at each other not knowing what to say. Like the younger vampires, the older ones ignored the other's conversation.

"Do you think…?" Demetri trailed off at the smell of blood. Everyone's eyes followed the smell to the source of the smell.

Calandra stood frozen as Adede was still clamped onto her shoulder. It was plain to see the horror on her face. Calandra realizing she had gone into her old habit of becoming human changed back to her normal form.

Adede reeled in disgust at the change in the blood to venom

"Adede, why did you do that?" Demetri asked.

"I thought she was dinner," she tittered innocently.

The horror on Calandra's face was replaced with open mouth disbelief. She looked back and forth with discomfiture.

"D…Did you just b…Bite me?"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Calandra's eyes fluttered as she woke up in her room. After the events of yesterday, she found it would be better to retire early. Her room was filled with soft morning light, telling her to get up. She groaned quietly and rubbed her eyes. A quick inspection of the room told her everything was still where it was and nothing was disturbed. It was not a dream.

She buried her head between her knees. The sheets felt so comfortable she didn't want to leave. It had been a week since she had last eaten, and she was feeling lethargic. At least she was healed now. Well… mostly.

A silver crescent had formed overnight on her neck. After she was bitten the skin turned red in irritation from the foreign poison. It had only itched lightly, but it was enough to annoy her.

She changed and walked into the fireplace room, only to jump back in surprise immediately. Many of the vampires she had met yesterday were sitting or standing in the room. She kept close to the outer walls and her head down in order to not attract attention.

Calandra almost made it to the stairwell but suddenly she felt a blow hit her back sending her forward. Mid fall, she felt her heart begin to beat as her body naturally protected her vampire identity by changing her human. It was useless here since they were all vampires, but like her adapting ability it was what her body felt was fit for the situation, not what she actually wanted.

Calandra clenched her teeth as her hands and knees scraped along the stone floor. Her palms were red where her skin was scraped, and her knees were probably the same. Turning to look at her attacker, she was met with the tall and strong build of Felix. She had not forgotten him at all.

"Now, we're even," He said, crossing his arms with the same cocky grin on his face. All the others in the room and turned to look at them. Calandra tried to keep calm and show control, proving that she was not dangerous like the other immortal children, but another taunting look from Felix sent her over the deep end.

She lunged at Felix, clawing at his face. He wrenched her from his body and threw her to the ground. As soon she hit the ground, she swung out her leg with enough force to knock him over. Not wasting a moment, she jumped on him, only to be blocked by his arm. His hand that had curled in a fist made contact with her side.

She gasped for a breath as the air was knocked out of her. Unlike the last time they fought, it was fairer. Felix had learned his lesson from last time and did not underestimate her. His strength was overwhelming; the only advantage she had was her speed and size. Of course, she could just concentrate and focus on him turning human, but it would be unfair. Though at this point she was close to fucking morals if it meant she would lose.

Calandra whipped her hand out, blocking another of Felix's punches. Each time they made contact, a low rumble sounded through the room. Felix was about to push her down to the ground when Jane walked in. This time, Jane seemed more unamused by seeing Calandra and Felix fighting. They both stopped and looked at Jane.

"Aro wants us in the throne room." Her red eyes locked on Calandra who hung from Felix's arms.

"You too." Everyone hurried out of the room, heading out different ways to the throne room. Felix dropped her roughly on the ground.

"We'll call this a tie this time." He gave her a jocular smile.

Calandra sat there, slightly confused by the sudden joking matter of the scuffle, until a pair of hands grasped her and pulled her up. She looked up to see Demetri.

"Thank you," she said quietly. He smiled at her thanks and motioned her to follow him.

"Don't worry about Felix. He's actually a very pleasant person. It's just that you were the first person to throw him." Demetri stated.

Calandra looked at Demetri skeptically. Why was he being so nice to her? As if he had read her thoughts, he told her, "I hope this does not go to your head, but after trailing after you for so many years, I admire you slightly. You made life here a bit interesting. You should have seen Caius after the seventy-fifth time you sent another team home empty handed." He laughed politely as he remembered the reaction.

Calandra felt her silent and harden exterior slip. She began to laugh softly with him.

"I thought you were going to be...childish. You seem very mature for your age."

"I've lived a long time," she explained, "A lot of it as a pseudo-human."

Demetri nodded his head in understanding.

She hesitated to ask him the question that bothered her. Could he really be trusted? She never did anything without a reason, and they were usually for her own personal gain. His pure friendly face finally coaxed it out of her. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

His polite smile changed to a thoughtful gaze as he thought.

"Because everybody needs a friend. And I think it would be more enjoyable to make them the natural way instead of Chelsea doing it for you."

Calandra was silenced by this statement. It was quite obvious he was telling the truth. She could have an actual friend. Not any of those "friends" who were only there to enforce to the rest of society that she was a human girl.

He continued: "Besides if you and Felix plan to scuffle like that all the time, you'll need someone to save yourself from being killed. I've got your back." He patted her back carefully so not to hurt her reopened wound. "Well, good luck." He left her standing outside the imposing oak doors of the throne room.

The two voices in her head argued back and forth; one adamantly denied the friendship, the other was unperturbed by her having a friend. Her own inner voice tried earnestly to interject, but they ignored her. Ignoring them back seemed the only way to stop their fighting. Putting back up her silent and completely calm wall of protection, she composed herself

As she slipped in silently, Aro looked up from his throne. Pleased at her appearance he motioned to her to come to him. The room echoed with her light footsteps as she walked up the steps till she only stood a foot away from Aro.

"Calandra, how nice it is to see you cleaned up. Are you feeling better?" he asked flamboyantly. In return, she nodded solemnly. This was her first time seeing this side of Aro and she didn't know if he was joking around or not.

"That's good. Anyway Calandra," he addressed, his voice growing serious. "Since you are going to be staying here and as a guard member, you should have this." He handed her a neatly folded black coat. Atop it lay a necklace with a golden and silver V. In between the two lines was the Volturi coat of arms.

She grasped the necklace, not wanting to let it go. This was her ticket to safety, having it meant she was no longer on the run. But with it she was no longer able to go where she pleased. It would be hard to find anybody if she were stuck here. Then again, she had not had much success on her own. A thousand years since she last saw him, and she couldn't find him again. Besides, now it was only a choice of life or death.

She took the necklace and placed it around her neck. The cloak was just a bit too long and large on the sleeves. Other than that one technicality, everything fit her well.

Aro smiled giddily seeing her. "Well you'll grow into it." He fished her hands out of the oversized sleeves and began jumping up and down in joy. Calandra resisted the jumping and was jerked back and forth. This Aro was worse to deal with than cold-hearted and slightly sensible Aro. When he stopped, he looked past her.

"Afton! Demetri! Come here." He beckoned. A man in his late twenties came up and stood next to Calandra. Demetri also appeared on the other side of her. The two were exact opposites in expression. Demetri had the same pleasant face from before, while Afton looked like he was told to dip his foot in a chamber pot and eat it. He was not thrilled to be placed with her.

"I want you to go to Follonica and check up on nomads that are currently near that area."

"Yes, Master," they said.

Afton looked down on Calandra grimly. In response, Calandra rose up onto her toes, shaking slightly trying to keep her balance. Her chest puffed out, and she stuck up her chin defiantly. Her arms were outstretched in a "you-wanna-fight?" manner. A shy smile escaped Demetri, which was the only amused reaction in the room. Everyone else ignored her, but she did solicit some unhappy looks from Chelsea.

Afton continued his grim stare.

"Easy girl. Save your amazing strength for later," Demetri commented. He pulled her along out of the room with Afton following glumly.

"She will be a most interesting addition to our family," Aro mused. His trademark, cunning smile appeared. With so many possibilities how could he not smile?

**Please review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Excogitable memories**

Alec watched from his spot next to Jane. The Volturi's newest addition was receiving her cloak. Everyone had speculated about what color cloak she would receive. Even though she had an ability that could be almost as useful as his own, she was still an immortal child; Short tempered and rash little monsters, which could not be controlled by anyone. Even with the short time that he had been with her, Alec could see Calandra's inner struggle with her basic instincts. She was very testy but at times he could see her actual calm personality. That was probably the only positive of her temperament.

Those green eyes could not hide her impish tendencies. She would disrupt the relative peace that he had. It was abominable enough with Aro and his callow acts. Like Marcus, Alec was not fond of Aro drinking alcohol and throwing it up everywhere. She would just add to their problems.

"_Wait… you're one of the reasons why she is here!"_ he reminded himself. His outburst was so unlike him. He couldn't even explain the feeling. A pulling or yearning to save her was the feeling, he guessed. Maybe it was her death. He remembered back to the fire. Torturous. Unbearable. The mutual burden could have maybe explained his actions.

Someone grabbed Alec's arm sharply, truncating his thoughts. He looked at Jane who was staring straight ahead. Disgust and hate showed on her face. He followed her angry stares to Calandra who held a black cloak. It was not the dark grey cloak that most had suspected she would receive. Nor was it the same shade of black that he and Jane wore. It was a stygian black like Chelsea's; the closest shade to the pure black of the leaders.

Jane was Aro's preferred ability. Calandra's presence was now a threat to that. He could feel his sister slowly beat herself up for allowing that abomination to the rules live. She was not like him and was susceptible to jealousy. She would find extreme pleasure in destroying Calandra.

Alec watched Calandra slip on the cloak and be jostled around by Aro's jumping. Jane's grip became tighter. She was trying her hardest not to snap. Alec tried to pacify her by patting her hand but it did little.

Afton and Demetri appeared next to Calandra. Alec noted Demetri's familiarity with her. He felt relieved that he would not have to worry about her clinging to him hoping to become friends. Though befriending her would move him to a very good position. If he fell out of favor for any reason, her position would save him. He presumed that she would have her way like Chelsea.

He focused on Calandra's face once again before she was gone. Aro sat back down on his throne, smiling widely. "She will be a most interesting addition to our family."

Alec raced after Jane who had stormed off as soon as they were dismissed. Jane could not have a tantrum and destroy half the castle again. He followed her down the corridors until they were far away from the earshot of anybody important. Alec grabbed his sister's shoulders, hugging her close in an attempt to pacify her and stop her from escaping. Jane pushed and kicked, trying to get Alec off of her.

"LET GO OF ME ALEC! I DO NOT WANT TO TALK!" Jane shrieked at him. She pushed him against the wall trying to beat him off, but Alec let the mist envelop her. He caught her senseless body as it fell.

"Jane, you really need to calm down," he said to her senseless body. At least in this state, she listened better. He sat her down against the wall, readying him for when his mist would retract and leave a very disconcerted Jane.

He slid down next to her and rested his hand over her mouth. As soon as the mist left, Jane's eyes flicked open, and she began struggling again.

"Alec! Geif foff fove meeffff!" She screeched muffled by his hand. Jane continued to wriggle and scratch at him. He was left with no choice but to sit on top of her.

"Sister, if you would calm down and be the presentable lady that you are, I will get off of you," he explained. Jane continued to struggle, but seeing her brother hold fast made her surrender. They both sat up, and Alec grasped his sister's shoulder, staring straight into her eyes. He knew it was nongermane to ask what was wrong.

"I should have never helped her. She did something, brother. I don't know what came over me," Jane said shaking. "I would have never done that if I knew that this would happen."

"You shot your own foot sister. Besides, at least you have some subtle warning if you're going to go on one of your rampages. Immortal children don't have any warning. Aro is probably just keeping her close so he can kill her easier. You should have no problems with that child," Alec stated, gently hitting her head with his palm.

Jane cringed and slapped it out of her way. "Watch it! Just because we're related does not mean I won't kill you.," she snapped.

Alec got up and hit her on her forehead again. "I'd like to see you try. We all know I'm the stronger one," he proclaimed haughtily. "You wouldn't dare hurt me anyway."

Jane rubbed her head in pain. Even though she was scowling he could tell her mood had lightened and was no longer in danger of turning into a full out tantrum. He laughed silently at his sister.

Jane got up and jumped onto Alec's back sending him stumbling. Regaining his balance, he looked at his sister whose scowl was now replaced with her sadistic smile. There was not much for him to do about the situation. He had successfully distracted her from jealous thoughts. It was really the only way to make her feel better.

"Brother, let's go torture those idiotic birds."

()()()()()()()()()()()()

A fire crackled and flicked its tongues, hoping to catch a more combustible item. Sadly, today it had been left unfed and neglected. The poor fire scrambled to snatch up the still useful pieces of wood in the ashes. It whimpered sorrowfully as another piece of wood disintegrated under its grasp. Usually, it was more than filled with scrunched and discarded parchment, but recently, there had been a lack of activity in the study.

The sound of rustling cloaks and hushed livid voices perked it up. Angry voices meant the tossing of papers and other delicious items. It grew more excited at seeing Aro and Caius enter. They had always been the most kind to the fire. It remembered fondly of the time when Caius tossed a small bookshelf into its home in his rage at Aro.

"Aro! I still do not understand why you insist on keeping that atrocity alive." Caius said.

"It's all in the grander scheme of things Caius." Aro said childishly. Furious with Aro's answer Caius whispered crossly "That's what you have been saying all this time. Aro, do you even know the consequences of this? You're just going to disregard your own rules because of a simple whim of Alec and Marcus?" An amused look appeared on Aro's face. He leaned against the side of the fireplace, eyeing Caius. Aro grabbed a sheet of parchment off of the mantle and started ripping tiny pieces off and tossed it to the fire. Greedily, the fire gobbled up the little pieces, begging and reaching out for more.

"Caius, you really think I would let someone else change my mind? I'm offended to think that I'd be such a pushover," Aro said dramatically. He started pacing in front of the fire. "No, every once in a while, it is good to test your best players. With their weakness already in our control, they become invincible."

"So you take in an immortal child?" Caius asked flabbergasted at Aro's gall. He slumped into one of the two chairs in the room. His hands flew up, trying to express his exasperation, but there was nothing he could do to express the extreme frustration he felt. "Think about how many retaliated when we destroyed the others. If the covens found out we have our own immortal child, there will be rebellions. These are our laws Aro. We must uphold them. I don't care how she has two abilities. Giving up peace for a once in a lifetime power is not worth it."

Aro came close to Caius and whispered in his ear: "What if they don't know she is an immortal child?" He pulled back and returned to the greedy fire. "Why do you think I put her with Afton? All she has to do is stay invisible and cling to his back. No one would know that she existed. Besides, having two powers is not anything new. The one that changed me had two." Aro receded and started wandering around the study.

"But why have most of us never seen this before? Even Elezear didn't know exactly what he was looking at." Caius said pointing out everyone else's ignorance on the subject.

Aro pulled an old journal from the drawer in his desk. He flipped through it before stopping at a certain page. He cleared his thoughts and said "My turner told me of his accounts of studying these people. Every decade there is a human born that has the potential to develop a second ability. The thing that makes it so rare is the stages to get to that point."

He paused allowing Caius time to take in the information.

"How they live their human life, how they are changed, and how their vampire life unfolds are taken into account. It's different for each person. Not all are going to become a vampire. So taking in a century worth of these humans. Maybe if you're lucky ten will be turned. Five of them will have fulfilled the requirement in their human life allowing them to have their predisposition ability. Only two of them will be able to develop the second ability. That is if they're able to survive to that point."

Caius sat there dumb-founded. He could only ask, "How did this happen?"

Aro shrugged and tossed the book carelessly to the ground. "Gene mutations? I really don't know." he speculated. He again started his wandering.

"Even if we do let her grow up to a normal age, how do you plan to control her? You can't use Chelsea or Corin to keep her here. Her power could change to some type of nullify ability and cancel out theirs. Then you have one angry and deranged immortal child. Once the fire is lit, it will devour everything. Is anybody in this castle sane?" Caius grabbed a book off the table, ripping it to shreds. Aro ignored him and started rustling through the cabinets taking out a canister of water and a bottle of liquor.

"I am surprised you hate her so much, Caius. After all, she is almost just as ruthless as you. I thought you both would mesh well. But that is where her problems are I guess." Aro poured out a glass of alcohol. He walked back over to the fire sitting in his chair. "You know the funny thing about immortal children, Caius? They're like fires. Some are lit purposefully and some on accident." Aro threw the alcohol at the fire. The fire roared at the adding of the fuel. It greedily ate up the precious liquid and followed the path on the floor. "But once they are started they will continue to burn. It doesn't matter who or what it destroys. It only lives to survive."

The fire had now traveled closer to the edge of the fireplace ready to devour the rug in front of it. Its tongues licked at the carpet in excitement. A gaping fiery mouth clamped down on the carpet.

"But-

_Splash_

Black marks were left where the fire had been. Aro dropped the glass container of water on the ground, letting it shatter. He looked to Caius and said continuing his sentence "- you can always get rid of them. That is Calandra's fatal flaw. She is a fire who won't stop to destroy the ones she wants dead even if the one she loves most are in the way. She is useful until her past comes back. Knowing the past, it always comes back besides with her dead no one can use her power. "Aro walked confidently out of the room. Caius sat perfectly, still soaking in Aro's statements. His mouth gaped when he finally understood. Aro had outdone himself.

()()()()()()()()

_Splish_

Calandra looked up at the sky, wondering where the water droplet had fallen from. The sky had turned overcast while they were out on their patrol. Now dark clouds threatened to release their water bombs on the Italian city.

She shifted her cloak over her exposed leg, not wanting to get wet. It's not that she hated water; there was just something about it pouring down on her that bothered her. She began munching again on her loaf of bread, swinging her short, stubby legs slightly. Afton leaned against the archway, trying not to make eye-contact with her. He was being more childish about the situation than her. Both them were waiting for Demetri's return.

He had left them for a few seconds saying that he needed to do things. After he left Afton scoffed "he really thinks that leaving us alone together will make us instant best friends." He started to settle in the spot farthest away from her. Calandra perkily exclaimed, "It's 'because we don't have water! You need water to make instant friends!"

"Shut up and sit down. Eat your bread before it goes cold. I paid for that so you better eat it," Afton snapped at her. Calandra sat down with a humph and started mocking Afton under her breath.

"Shut up and sit down… humph. It was cold when we got it…" Calandra made exaggerated faces while scarfing down her bread. The rest of the time was silent.

She looked glumly down in her lap where only leftover crumbs lay. Looking around bored she spotted a tall silhouette walking toward them through the fog. Calandra jumped up from the step happy to see Demetri come back.

"Did you get your things?" Afton asked.

"Yes sorry for making you both wait so long." Demetri apologized. They all put on their hoods and started walking. Follonica was like Volterra with the compressed buildings and cobblestone streets. Demetri and Afton lowered their heads avoiding anyone's gaze. Calandra on the other hand looked everywhere with her moss green eyes wide with wonder.

The city had become busier as they passed the harbors. Burly sailors and busy bee workers milled about. Children her age ran past her looking uncared for. A little girl covered with soot and her short blonde hair in a dirty tangled messed stopped and stared at Calandra.

Calandra slowed down her pace and looked back at the street urchin. Even though the urchin smiled she seemed despondent. Calandra wanted to stop but Demetri grabbed her hand pulling her close. The urchin continued to stand there watching after the beautiful vampires not knowing what she was looking at. Demetri nudged her again getting Calandra to move faster but gave up and piggybacked her.

At the edge of town the rain started. It began as a light mist but soon turned into a light drizzle.

"There's your water kid. Go make your instant friendship," Afton muttered.

"Instant friendship?" Demetri asked. He was trying to stifle his laughter to be polite but it was too hard.

"Ask your little buddy," Afton said harshly. Before Demetri could slightly crane his face to ask her, Calandra slammed her tiny hands on the side of his head preventing him from turning. Her pale pink cheeks grew red with mortification.

"Calandra, what on earth is he talking about?" Demetri softly asked. She could tell that he was smiling ear to ear now. Her hands flew up in frustration.

"Instant friendship, just add water! Honestly it's nothing Demetri," she clamped her arms around his neck and nestled her head into his back. Demetri now laughed openly at the situation. She wished that she could take back her childish babble. It was becoming harder and harder not to act her physical age.

She tried to fall asleep on Demetri's back in order to avoid anymore conversation about her, but the heavy down pour made it impossible. If only there was some type of-

The rain stopped around them. Everyone looked up to see the water being dispersed away from them. It was like there was a large umbrella over them.

"Thank you." Calandra said quietly to her body. Now without the rain she could enjoy the woods. While she was watching the trees rush by she overheard Demetri talking to Afton.

"See she's not a horrible little monster," Demetri said to him.

"She's not as bad as I thought she was going to be." Afton said finally agreeing somewhat with Demetri. Calandra turned to look at Afton giving him her biggest smile. Seeing her happiness he immediately said "You're still annoying though."

Calandra walked along the other hallway that branched off the fireplace room. It was like the other one with doors to the other guard member's rooms. She learned that there were many vampires in the volturi. Though, most of them were just there for numbers. Only twenty of them made up the entire guard and six made up the higher level including her.

This time the hallway did not run into a dead end but took a sharp right. Calandra was delighted to see a chess set sitting in this brighter hallway. She waddled over to the board scared to touch it. She thought that she would be resigned to a life of reading books and getting into fights with Felix as her only form of entertainment. Not many people wanted to really stay around her. She didn't blame them. She was a pox to the vampire kind.

She picked up the Onyx queen in her hand. Chess was a game for two not one lonely girl. Maybe she could play against herself? Demetri was nice to be friends with but he was too polite and only knowing him for a week she already knew he would throw a game. Marcus was very hard to keep interested. Even though he was trying harder to be less apathetic, it was very difficult to gain his attention. He was more of a hands-off father. The type that expects kids not to do stupid things like stick their hand in a fire, but if they do they learn not to do it again. If Adede could be found she would move so fast that the game would be over in five minutes.

The castle was not outfitted with things to keep children content. It only sated one's curiosity and imagination. She wished that she could go outside again but Caius had made it clear to her that she could not go without a chaperone.

"Are you there?" she asked hoping to rouse the voices.

Nothing.

It was unusual for them not to respond. Usually their bickering and commentaries were never ending. Over the years, she was able to tune it out enough so their voices became a low buzz in the background. Now that she thought of it there was no low hum or anything at all. They had been silent since her first meeting with Demetri.

"Hello?"

Noth-

Tap Tap Tap

Calandra looked at the source of the sound. At the tall stain glass border window an ebony crow pecked at the lock of the window. She came over standing up on her tippy toes just too barely see over the ridge. A flurry of black feathers was the only things she could view. She needed to get a boost. After giving the chess table a few tugs she was able to scoot it up against the wall. She jumped up easily on to the table leaving the chess pieces undisturbed. Calandra crawled up onto the sill and started to watch the bird. It noticed her and hopped sportively over to her. Its beady eyes looked at her in a similar fashion as her. It squawked at her a bit but then hopped back to the lock. Taking a liking to the silly bird, she opened the window. A cold breeze pushed back her hair and began to infiltrate the castle. The Crow did not jump in but stayed on the ledge. It turned away from her squawking at the town below. Satisfied with its call it turned back and hopped in. Calandra closed the window and slid off onto the ground. The crow followed her and landed onto the chess table as she put it back in its place. The crow started ruffling its feather shaking of a flaky substance on it. Some landed on Calandra. It was silver snowflakes.

"Sorry I didn't mean to kill your tree." The crow stopped and bowed its head in response.

"Can you play chess?" She asked rhetorically. The bird snatched up a pawn in its mouth and started gnawing on it.

"Good enough."

**Please review**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Tentative Memories**

The winter air was crisp and forced its way in every house. Smoke billowed from every chimney into the overcast sky. It was colder than past years in Volterra. The night before snowflakes fell gracefully down to the ground. Today the snowflakes had stayed and the entire region was covered with half a foot of powdery snow. What wasn't covered with snow had formed splotches of ice on its surface. Alec's own window was covered with frost giving everything he saw a dreamy haze. He relished the halcyon sight from his bedroom. First snowfalls were always a welcome sight to him because the castle was undisturbed and quiet, though it wouldn't be for long.

He forced himself to get dressed at the thought of someone barging in on his divested state. Lately it seemed that people were losing their manners and came into his room without knocking or announcing their presence. Having Jane appear in his room was something he expected regularly. Seeing even Elezear intrude was completely unexpected. It seemed that every higher guard member materialized in his room at least once these past few days.

Except Calandra.

She had kept herself scarce from Jane, which Alec was extremely thankful for. Though it meant he rarely saw her since he kept most of his company with his sister.

He distracted himself from his thoughts trying to find where his waistcoat was. Even with the Volturi's wealth he didn't have many clothes that he actually wore, but over the centuries they piled up. Every closet and dresser here were jungles. During one of his trips to help Marcus and Caius deal with a barfing Aro, he had seen Caius flinging old togas out onto the ground to cover the mess.

Alec rummaged through his own dresser looking for a clean waistcoat. Unlike the begrimed humans he actually liked his clothes clean and sanitary.

The defining feel of wool alerted him on finding his waistcoat. He pulled the ivory waist coat out of the sea of clothes. As he slipped it on he heard something hard fall on the ground.

"_Felix. What did you do now?"_

He expected whatever had fallen was another one of his bothersome gags. Instead Alec picked up a necklace. It had a gold chain and featured a ruby. The ruby was delicately cut into petals creating a rose. It was no bigger than his pinky.

Where had this come from? Had it always been there? Jane would have never played around with this little bauble. He let it roll around in his hand. It would be a shame to just throw it away. He could give it to someone. Heidi would like little things like this, but she would get the wrong idea as she always did. Every other female member he could think of was not interested or was mated to someone who would mind the gift.

The fate of the necklace seemed destined for the trash.

Alec stuffed it in his pocket and walked out of his room. He was not going to take the chance of somebody else finding it in his room and misinterpreting its existence.

Alec made his way quickly outside. The garden seemed like the most logical place to dispose of it. Either burying it for the gardener to stumble upon or tossing it over the high surrounding walls into the outside world.

As he walked into the open corridor that bordered the garden he noticed Calandra toddling through the snow trying her hardest to keep her balance. It must have been frustrating for her, an experienced soul trying to control her suddenly uncoordinated body. She made it successfully over the smaller bank but started to seriously lose her balance on a large icier bank.

She closed her eyes bracing her body for the impact. Alec feeling nicer today grabbed her by one of her leading strings stopping her from falling. Her red cap fell off landing in a wet puddle of snow. Calandra remained calm but she looked at the dirtied cap with a very mild sense of horror.

Alec helped her up and snatched the cap from the puddle.

"What are you doing out here? Didn't Caius make it clear to you were not allowed outside without a chaperone?" he asked. Calandra started her clumsy trek over the snow again.

"Today's an exception." She bent down pawing at the earth. The brown dirt buried below the snow was empty of grass and flowers. Usually this garden was filled with plants and the trees covered with leaves. The cold weather had done a very good job of stripping the garden clean. Even the sturdy cypresses were looking a bit sad against the high castle wall. Calandra moved on searching the ground for something. Alec followed figuring that he had nothing more interesting to do.

"Why?" He implored. Calandra brushed her atramentous hair out of her face. In the three months that she had been here it had grown longer.

"Why do you ask so many questions?" she said it so calmly that he didn't realize that she had snapped at him. "It's a gift from Athenodora for my birthday. Well it was more of a reward for a favor. I could go outside the castle for today but that would require a chaperone."

"Your birthday?"

"Yes. The cap was a gift from Marcus. I probably should take better care of my things." Just as she said it she bumped into the side of the fountain that stood in the garden. Stepping back and going around, her small hands traced the carvings of fish in the fountain's side. "Do snowdrops grow here?" She asked lethargically.

"Not on the grounds." She looked slightly disappointed hearing this, but she perked herself up.

"At least they do grow here; there use to be a lot near my home." She looked up at the tree they stopped under. The barren branches were covered with snow and drooped with the weight. Her distant eyes travled down the trunk to pieces of bark that had curled.

"What do you want them for?" Alec asked.

"A birthday gift," she said simply. Large pieces of tree bark came off revealing the smooth trunk. Calandra continued peeling off the bark till a fist sized piece of trunk was exposed. Alec watched her silently. She was being polite to engage in his conversation but he could tell she would be more comfortable talking if Demetri were here instead of him.

"You're getting a birthday gift for yourself?" He was slightly appalled by her self-centered statement. Calandra moved on sensing his disgust.

"It's not for me it's for my siblings."

"Oh." It was all that he could say. By now they had to have already passed away. It must have been sad for her to know that they were alive after she had been changed. If she had as close of a relationship with her siblings as he did with Jane it would have been heartbreaking. Life without Jane? Alec could not imagine how lost he would be. Calandra watched him knowingly and added "I was a triplet. Fraternal. I had a brother and a sister. My sister went away to a fantastical land before she was born. That's what my mother said. My brother he-"She paused as if someone else was talking to her. "He passed away with my mother before I was turned." Her voice had turned quiet and uncomfortable at the mention of his death. "Snowdrops are my sister's favorite flower."

Alec found this statement unusual. He assumed, when her mother had told her that her sister went to a magical land, that she was a stillborn. How could she know what a stillborn sibling liked?

"I'm sorry it slipped out," Calandra muttered under her breath.

_What?_ This little child was insane. He had heard her talking to herself before but he put it up to being a silly kid. Now it seemed that her statement was not directed toward him or herself.

Alec began to leave not wanting to exchange anymore conversation. Not realizing it he glanced back. Regret filled him. If he hadn't looked back he could have gone on with his life half bored but at least undisturbed.

Calandra stood where he had left her. An immortal child dressed in black standing in the middle of a snow laden garden. The cold breeze moved her hair gently in front of her face. Her hands cupped together holding empty space. It was that forlorn look that she gave her empty hands that caused him to turn back. She looked up at him hiding her disappointment deep in her heart.

"You only have a few hours before you should be back inside. Let's hurry." Alec pushed her inside. He had to walk slower than he usually did due to her truncated strides. Cecilia, the secretary, looked up in surprise of seeing the two enter her domain together. Cecilia with her duties as secretary presided over the waiting room. Really it was just a large rectangular room with vaulted ceilings. Marble columns held up the lower ceiling sides. Usually the marble room would be filled with a diversity of vampires and sunlight would shine through but the overcast sky compelled many to enjoy the brief time of day. Alec nodded to Cecilia and led Calandra up the grand stairs out into the city. He flipped on his cloak and motioned Calandra to closely follow him.

The town of Volterra was bustling with activity. People brushed past them rushing to their next job. Children played out in the street almost being hit by reckless carriage drivers. The smell of human sweat and pungent perfumes covered the town. Not being able to stand the odor anymore he quickly turned down an alleyway. It still stank like human sweat but the odor was much less pronounced.

With no one around, they were able to jump easily to the bottom of the alley's steps. They entered on another busy street but with fewer houses and more businesses. Alec squeezed his way through the crowd vigilantly avoiding contact with his bare hands against any human.

When they finally escaped the crowd, he felt a small hand clamp down on his. Calandra was squeezing his hand with all her might. A small pinching pain forced him to try and shake off her hand. That's when he noticed. Calandra's eyes were not their usual green. Instead her irises were a hungry black. Now that he thought of it she had not been in the throne room when Heidi brought their meals. She must have been living off of human food this whole time.

Alec guided her away from people and hoped that she would hold on till he got her to their destination. A few more turns, and they came to a small hill where houses had been built into its side. The hill was covered with snow like the rest of Volterra, but there was much less in this neighborhood only a few centimeters deep. Calandra, who was extremely tired looking by now, bounded through the snow in a sluggish delight. The snow was powdery and spurted up like confetti with every step she took.

Where the snow had not covered white little flowers bloomed. Their tender green leaves popped up against the white background. Alec ensconced onto a rock that rose out of the sea of white and green.

Calandra picked the flowers with care making sure they were not damaged. She seemed to really care about her deceased siblings.

He had passed judgment on her and decided not to associate with her much after the incident. But… but it was getting harder to hate her. She was not only calm under all those instincts she was also compassionate toward those close to her. A second redeeming quality.

If she was no longer an immortal child and could no longer provoke parental instincts in vampires, Alec would no longer be weakened to help or be kind to her. And maybe if she grew up out of her destructive phase they could be friendlier toward each other.

The fact that she was not feeding on blood for such a long time was the most obvious culprit for her mood swings. Alec remembered how Aro had starved past guard members to try and quickly develop their powers. This case though looked like it was going to take a long time. Close to a millennium of time to develop it and Calandra could only use her abilities on herself. One of them didn't even respond to her own conscious pleas. It only sought self-preservation. Her humanification was barely under control due to habit that was drilled into her when she had to have been a newborn. Felix talked about it sometimes after he was asked about his daily scuffles with her. She consistently lost to him. Though winning against her didn't inflate his head has much as his usual matches against newborns. Calandra may have taken him down the first time but without the power of being underestimated she was easy for Felix to take down. It looked dismal for her in the strength category when she would age out of her immortal child powers.

Five resounding bongs signaled that they only had an hour left. Calandra had come over early with her finished bouquet of snowdrops. Her eyelids struggled so hard to stay awake Alec decided to let her fall asleep.

Alec got up and went over to Calandra where she was hidden in the snow. While she slept her hair had again gotten in the way. He reached down and brushed her bangs behind her ears. His hand froze still cupping her cheek. It was unusual to feel a vampire's heartbeat. Hers was slower than a human's and once in awhile it would skip a beat. Alec let his thumb move along her soft skin. He carefully pulled out the necklace from earlier deciding that this would be an appropriate way to dispose of it. It slipped on easily over her head.

"Don't go…' the words escaped Calandra's mouth in a whisper. Alec pulled back his hands in the air like a robber that was caught. What the fuck was he doing? He paced back and forth trying to knock some sense into himself.

She may have been close to a millennium old but she was physically five. It didn't matter even if she was born three millenniums before him he was physically Seventeen. Age might just be a number but a seventeen year-old holding a five year-old face like that was wrong.

"-Daniel." She whispered turning onto her side.

Again what the fuck was he thinking? She was sleep talking about her brother most likely... It was official he was a pedophile. It was just wrong in general to do that to any five year olds.

Composing himself he walked back over and lightly kicked her leg and continued walking. He heard her scramble up after him. In his peripheral, he saw Calandra half awake and her whole entire left side soaked from the snow. The voice in his head screamed pedophile. This time he didn't slow down for her to catch up with him. Unfortunately she was able to keep up with him by running.

His stomach clenched seeing her notice the new necklace around her neck. She looked at it for a second but then stuffed it in dress determined to keep pace with him. Some relief filled him that she did not question its existence yet.

Alec flew down the grand stairs skipping numerous steps. Instead of Cecelia greeting them, an unhappy Caius sat in her chair. Athenodora sat on the table with a regal posture. Her fair hair was tied back showcasing her high cheek bones. When Athenodora was still part of the guard, she had a very commanding presence that even Jane could not rebel against. Now after being stuck in the tower for her safety, she was a wisp of who she was. She looked like she could be broken from a light breeze.

"Calandra, can you please lend us some of your wisdom?" she asked Calandra sweetly. Alec stopped awkwardly at the bottom of the stairs. Athenodora did not wait for Calandra to reply.

"My dear husband is under the impression that Domenico Scarlatti is a better composer than his father Alessandro. Could please enlighten us on who is the more exceptional composer?"

Awkward.

Alec started to leave hoping to escape the uncomfortable feeling in the room.

"Oh, Alec, why don't you stay and join this lovely conversation?" Caius said sarcastically. If Caius was not getting out of this he was not going to let Alec escape.

"Alessandro," Calandra said going with Athenodora's opinion. Athenodora triumphantly announced "See Caius I was right."

"Only because you paid her off," Caius mumbled looking away from her.

"Don't be like that dear." Athenodora kissed him. What started as a simple kiss, turned into a passionate make out. Alec tried to guide Calandra away from the growingly inappropriate situation but his hand just hit empty air. Tiny pools of water were left where she had been. She had already taken the hint and left. Alec took his leave. He couldn't help feel a bit sorry for Cecelia. She probably had little to no idea what had happened on that desk so many times before.

()()()()()()()()()()

Calandra dunked her head under the warm water, letting it wash away the layer of grime and sweat that covered her. Digging around outside had made her dirtier than she thought. She resurfaced and leaned back relaxing in the tub. Today also made her quite aware of what situation she was in. She was no longer irritated and as short-tempered like before and was now feeling extremely torpid. What was worse was, knowing that she would no longer have the strength to turn human and sleep off the hunger or eat more to keep her alive.

Just one drop.

One drop of that delicious claret was all she needed to be rejuvenated. She felt venom build up in her mouth as she thought of the taste of her last victim. It had been so long. Aro had always rushed her into the tower to make sure that no one came in while the wives and everyone else fed.

Liar.

Aro had plans for her; she was smart enough to see that. What exactly was he going for by starving her? If it was to make her feel absolutely shitty, he was doing a damn good job of it.

_Calandra what did we say about your language, besides you're not that far gone if you're still that irritable._

The voices! The girl's high-pitched, always optimistic voice brought comfort to her.

_Cassandra would you shut up! _The pessimistic boy's voice barked. Calandra smiled lovingly at hearing their fights start up again. She curled up and rested her head on her arms. Hopefully their fight would be over before her fingers wrinkled.

She dunked her head under water again this time opening her eyes. Water, when she was swimming in it, was fine with her. From the vague fragments of her vampire memory, she could remember the useless memories of swimming in lakes and rivers.

She remembered, her first time swimming in a lake, how the light was distorted giving the water and ethereal glow. The lake water was extremely cold and when she first jumped in, it felt like long thread like needles were slicing through her. It was in January and some ice still floated on the surface. Calandra went down so deep the light grew scarce.

"_Calandra." The water muffled the person calling her, voice. She pushed off the muddy lakebed heading back to the surface. Her long arms reached forward toward the light pushing away the scum and ice chips. She made her way toward the bank till her feet touched the ground. Breaking the surface of the water, Calandra brushed back her long inky hair twisting it out of the way while slinking through the water to where she last put her clothes. Her hand pawed around on the rock but there were no clothes to be found not even her chemise. _

"_Hélie? Did you steal my clothes?" she asked jokingly. She peered around the rock directing her question to the cream colored gelding on the bank. Its ears flicked in response to its name being called but otherwise the gelding continued to graze. Calandra listened for Felicity figuring she was the culprit._

_She jolted down into the water. A man was nearby. His scent and surreptitious footfall was foreign to her. He popped out of the brush, holding her over-frock, like he was looking for something. _

_She was not able to hide in the shadows and he spotted her immediately. _

"_I was wondering who would leave such a perfectly good horse alone in the woods. When I found your clothes I was worried that some footpads had taken a poor girl's life," he said rather chipper. _

_Calandra wanted to flee to anywhere but where this man was. Unfortunately, he had her clothes and would probably take her horse. She worked too hard and long in the fields to save the money for Hélie. _

_She tentatively outstretched her arm. Misinterpreting the gesture, he grasped her hand gently about to help her out. Flustered Calandra spat out "My clothes not your help."_

"_Oh, I'm sorry for embarrassing you," he handed her, her over-frock. It took him a minute of standing awkwardly at the bank before realizing she wanted privacy. _

"_I'll go get my horse," he told her flashing a quirky smile._

_When he left, Calandra quickly got dressed and sloppily tied back her hair. She untied Hélie and mounted him hoping to rid herself of the stranger. They barely started their trot when the man came along side her on a black horse. _

"_Sorry to do that to you," He apologized. Calandra continued to look ahead unsure to say anything. Instead of acting like most normal people, he continued to talk. "Do you live around here?"_

_She nodded in reply. His smile seemed to be his natural default expression as it never seemed to leave his face._

"_You don't talk very much do you?" Calandra shrunk in surprise as his hand brushed her shoulder. This man was too familiar with her and it was very unsettling. _

_He brushed off her reaction and continued talking. "It's a nice day today. I can see why you would be enjoying the lake. How did you learn how to swim?" _

"_I taught myself," she answered. The forest trickled away and soon wheat fields surrounded them. Workers looked up for a glance at the two before returning to the familiar ground. Some of the older workers crinkled their faces, adding more wrinkles to the crumpled paper of their skin, seeing a girl of seventeen and a boy foreign to them riding together unsupervised. _

_Calandra lowered her head away from them to avoid their judging stares. She kicked Hélie gingerly, speeding up the pace. _

_Felicity would scold her for drawing too much attention. _

_Now almost galloping, the dust on the road kicked up and rolled over its self cascading back down to the ground. He followed her pace keeping next to her. _

_The willow trees gladly hid them in their long green hair, as the two passed by, and whispered to their companions, their laughs creaky and old. Some leaned in trying to hear the conversation, relaying the words back to the heralds who squawked and tweeted to the rest of the world._

_Just as sweetly as the heralds sang, the man talked to her with his amiable words. They wove their way in such a certain fashion that she no longer felt uncomfortable and opened like a flower to the sun. _

_She forgave his misstep earlier and threw away her quick and decisive judgments of his character. _

"_My name is…" His name was drowned out by the loud and boisterous whinny of Hélie with the sound of Brom pounding away at his stain glass frames in the background._

_Never had Calandra been so disheartened at the sight of Felicity's homely abode. The ride felt too short. Regret tormented her pulling at her heart. She had caused their early arrival by her reluctance to be associated with the stranger. _

_The stranger didn't recognize her abrupt change back into her doubting and reserved self. But he also looked equally disappointed by seeing her recognition of the cottage. _

_She brought Hélie to a stop in front of the stable. Brom could still be heard pounding at the metal, a very good sign that he was entirely immersed in his work. _

_Calandra opened her mouth unsure of what to say but the man filled in her silence with polite words. "It was pleasant talking to you." _

_Even though these words were carefully chosen not to show favor, his eyes betrayed the real meaning in his heart. He bowed as properly as he could on his horse and began trotting off. _

"_Goodbye Calandra." He whispered to her before he disappeared back in the hair of the gossiping willows. _

_She sat their stunned by this remarkable man._

_It did not bother her as much that he knew her name even though she had not disclosed it to him. _

_Now the real task at hand was, skirting by Brom's watchful eye. _

_Calandra slid off of Hélie and guided the horse into the stable yard. She hid on the other side of her horse, his broad neck covering her face effectively from Brom's perspective. _

_Another whinny escaped Hélie as he saw his stable mate Nannette, the ewe, dutifully keeping watch over the yard. _

_Brom's pounding stopped and she could feel him watch her pass by him. She pretend to be fully engrossed in getting Hélie cleaned up. She picked up the brush and started cleaning him but stopped when she had to go to the other side. In her current state she would not be able to look at Brom, so she dropped the brush and started plaiting the horse's creamy mane._

"_Girlie you know that a horse has two sides not one." Brom's deep voice informed her. Calandra peeked over seeing Brom._

_He looked at her with an all-knowing look sitting by his forge. His skin was almost as ruddy as those in the fields. Black curly hair and frizzy beard gave him a wizened look and his blue eyes reinforced it. He turned back to his metal frame that was now finished. Calandra came around with her head hanging low and stood in front of Brom still at a safe distance from where is forge lay under the lean-to. _

"_Bring over the cobalt," he instructed. Calandra followed her orders and rummaged through the shelves of powders in the shack adjacent to the forge_

_She still readied herself for the onslaught of his inquiries. Who was that man? Why were you talking to him? Do you even know how close you were to exposing your real identity? You're not in love with him are you? Don't even think of it, you're already in enough trouble, don't attract any more attention. _

_Her mind was so muddled she must have passed over the cobalt millions of times. _

_She clasped the bottle tight this time and came back to Brom. He took it silently and started mixing the silver powder with the glass._

_When the sun began to set, Felicity's voice called out for them from the cottage._

_Calandra almost dropped the little piglet that she had finally wrestled into her arms. She had been extremely sluggish with her chores, which seemed more tedious, today. Only half of the piglets had been inspected for sickness, and Nannette was in a desperate need for a cut with the recently warmer weather. There were just too many things to do. _

"_You can finish your work later. It's time to eat." Felicity's voice called again. The piglet squealed and started its struggle again knowing that it would most likely get away this time. Calandra dropped it without much care if the little noisy thing died from the fall. There was enough mud to cushion the fall anyway. Plus it was not like they sold for anything substantial at the market. One dead just meant a bigger meal for the three of them, though she would not hear the end of it from felicity. _

_It ran back to its siblings in a gleeful state snorting triumphantly._

"_Sppst," she hissed and snapped her fingers at it grabbing its attention, " I would watch yourself, that gate doesn't always lock itself properly. It would be a shame if a wolf or a fox were to slit your precious little neck." The pig understanding her tone of voice squeezed its way under its siblings trying to hide. _

_Calandra passed by Brom who was still at his forge taking his time to make sure the glass piece turned out perfect. She almost ran inside hoping to beat him in and be done with her meal before he came to eat._

_She entered the cottage ducking low to avoid the herbs that hung from the roof. Felicity could be heard humming to herself in front of the cauldron. A small bowl of gruel and an unusually big piece of flat bread sat on the table taunting her stomach. _

"_Go ahead eat, it's cool enough." Felicity said amiably. Calandra happily sat down to eat._

_From this view, she could see Felicity outlined by the light of the fire. There was something about Felicity that no matter how you saw her, she seemed to radiate kindness. As she stirred she asked "did you enjoy your time at the lake?" _

_Calandra tried to answer but she was interrupted._

"_She met a boy, should 'ave seen her face Fee, Tried to clean only one half of Hélie to avoid looking at me." Brom said upon entering. Felicity threw off her apron and practically jumped into the seat across from her. Her red eyes darted back and forth trying to read Calandra's face._

"_You met him on your way there?" Calandra prepared herself to lie but couldn't bring herself to. Felicity would take anything as the truth._

"_Well… it was while I was at the lake." Brom looked amused and slightly surprised at Calandra's admission._

"_I came up and started looking for my clothes and he must 'ave come when I was under. He thought I had been killed by footpads. So he had my clothes but he gave it back. He didn't see anything," she tried to explain without digging a deeper grave._

"_Calandra right now what I am getting from your story is that you're now a harlot." Felicity said to her. She looked at Calandra smiling. "A young girl almost an actual adult meets a young man while she is bathing and he has her clothes. And you are insinuating that they both managed to keep the boy's clothes on and he did not see her in her… state. So you're telling me that every start of the greatest love story myths actually did not work in real life?" With every word she said, her voice grew in volume. Brom made no move to quiet her and instead enjoyed his own meal. _

"_Are you sure you didn't do anything?" Felicity grabbed Calandra's wrists and checked them for anything. "Did you always have that bruise on your neck?"_

_Calandra pulled her hand away from felicity completely flustered. She told the truth, why didn't felicity believe her? _

"_I'm joking." Felicity laughed and her dimples became more pronounced. Even Brom let a small chuckle escape_

* * *

_Calandra flicked open her eyes unable to hold onto sleep for long. The man from before now bothered her in her dreamless sleep. The voices talked too much and were too loud. How could she sleep when they were thinking? It didn't help that the thistles mixed in with the hay continued to scratch her through her blanket. The idea of getting up and fixing her bedding teased her mercilessly but, Felicity would know she was awake from the loud creaks of the loft's floor boards. _

_Calandra shifted so she could see through a large hole in one of the floor boards a few feet away from her. She could see Brom just finishing his meal and felicity had now moved to the large bucket cleaning the plates. _

_Calandra sighed to herself. She had not been asleep for long._

"_Do you think it is really okay for her to be talking to him again?" Brom's worried voice floated out from below. The sounds of plates clinking together preceded the sound of Felicity's reassurances._

"_I don't see why not?"_

"_Aren't you worried she'll be exposed?" Brom said posing a very important problem they faced daily. Felicity stopped and almost seemed to freeze but shook her head and turned around looking at Brom. In their own shared language of wise people they told the other to follow them outdoors. _

_Calandra shifted back into her bed. The door opened and closed with extra care so they would not wake her up._

"_It'll be good for her identity I think. She's seventeen; almost all the other girls are already married. Rory's girl isn't married only because her fiancé is off fighting wars for Charlemagne's sons'. The other woman talk about her to me," Felicity said sounding a bit exasperated. "They ask me why I haven't found a man for her. Ellie gave me more bread today saying that I need to make her more plump and keep her out of the fields if I ever want to marry her off."_

"_I still don't think she should see that exact man Fee," Brom paused, "I only saw him for a second but I just don't like how he looked at her-_

"_But what did Calandra look like?" felicity interrupted him._

"_Why don't you ask her?"_

"_She would never tell me. She shows all her feelings on her face when she thinks we're not looking. What was her face really like?" There was a pause in the conversation and it was filled with the baa of Nannette. Felicity giggled and Brom gave a small amused grunt._

"_She was in love," he stated, "she wasn't the same when she first left. She may not realize it herself but he changed her in that short time." Calandra held her mouth holding back the urge to correct Brom. That man hadn't changed her she was sure of it. She couldn't be in love either. If there was anyone who knew the dark side of love it was her. Her own death had been caused by a scorned girl who didn't even know what she wanted._

"_Brom," Felicity's voice pleaded, "she needs somebody else to go to in this world. She needs a friend; I'm just a mentor to her making sure she doesn't do anything to endanger people. She needs someone like how you are to me Brom." There was more silence from all of them, even Nannette._

_Brom's stoic voice seemed close to breaking. "You won't 'ave me for long fee. No matter how well your medicines work."_

"_I know." Calandra sat up and looked out the window down below to where Felicity and Brom sat on the step. Felicity hugged Brom tightly._

"_I know I won't 'ave you for long but I 'ave you for now," Felicity said sounding like she would cry. Brom hugged her back. _

_Calandra's heart tightened and she quickly lay back down on her bed. She closed her eyes and squeezed her hands together praying that she would fall asleep before the thoughts could poison her mind._

_Too late. _

_Calandra opened her eyes and looked at the starry sky above that peeked through the hay roof. The moon was full and bathed her exposed skin making her glow slightly. _

_I won't fall in love, I promise you stars, I can't fall in love._

Water rushed into calandra's mouth. She flailed around trying to grab for the side of the tub.

Finally getting a good grasp on the side, Calandra heaved herself out of the water and rested on the side of the tub. Water splattered on the floor from the tub and from Calandra's throat. She coughed even though the water had been ejected from her throat.

Even with her almost life threatening moment Calandra was more disturbed by what had caused her to become sidetracked.

The memory had never gone that far. Had it?

No.

It was just her going down to the bottom of the lake and coming up at the call of her voice; right before she broke the surface the memory would end.

That man he was the one that she was looking for. He was the man that her body told her to find, now she had a person to the order. But what did he look like?

Calandra scrambled for the memory reinforcing it into her brain so it would not disappear. She was too late to salvage the man's face and could not recall any feature. His voice now sounded generic and it could be anyone's voice.

She clenched her tiny fist and hit the side of the tub. So close, so close to her answer. All she needed to see a face and win the lottery with her ability to find him. What he was going to do to help was just as mysterious as her past, but it was better than running around in circles.

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	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you HunterRaven and Dragonhuntess22**

**Chapter 6: Black and White Memories**

In the world many people believe in a grey area, vampires and humans alike. The grey area is like, for example taking good versus evil, the people who are neither bad nor good. They sit there never taking sides.

But it's a lie. A lie that everyone believes in. You are either good or evil. But this is where things get complicated. Just because you are on the evil side doesn't make you a baby killer. It's like a spectrum; some are more evil than others and others are so close to the side where good resides. There still in that category but their actions are not as harsh or cruel. Sometimes all it takes is one moment to put you on one side. Inhabiting both is blasphemy.

That was how Calandra saw it and that was the conundrum in her life. Most aspects of her life were clearly on one side, in most people's perspective the unfavorable ones. But her very self right now was in that imaginary grey land.

The human and vampire world. She was part of both. Even if she was technically a vampire, going more than five months without some type of human food would weaken her. Three weeks without blood was torturous struggle for her.

Calandra had been staring at her ceiling for who knows how long. Her usual complicated thoughts did not interest her enough to take away the burning in her throat.

Calandra coughed already knowing it was futile to try and get rid of the pain. She had tried to ease herself up earlier but fell back into the covers. So now she lay there with no more strength to move.

"_Merde," _Calandra whispered in French.

She tried to look around the room but she could only spot the tops of the furniture and a very familiar face. If she could have jumped she would have but her body was like a rock.

He walked idly to her side, and fully took in her close to comatose state.

"Can you walk?" he said sardonically. Calandra tried to return his tone through an equally matched smile but was only able to twitch the sides of her mouth.

He grabbed her and set her down on the floor. Calandra stumbled badly, like a newborn foal, trying to get up. She almost kept her balance but her knees gave in and she tumbled to the ground. He grabbed her by the collar of her frock, too impatient to let her try again.

"Alec where are we going?" she asked him curious as why he was dragging her out of her room.

"We're going to eat," He said becoming the same man he was when she had first come here, the silent guide on the river Styx. Her eyes widen at the word "Eat".

"Really?" Calandra felt so much stronger now. She prayed it was not a joke.

"Aro's orders," Alec said simply.

The imposing oak doors of the throne room appeared. Heidi stood in front of them with her same aura of roses surrounding her. Her lips parted in a half-smile seeing them and she gracefully glided over.

Alec plopped Calandra onto her feet and approached Heidi.

"Alec, I was wondering why you would need so many-"Alec held Heidi's delicate chin in his hand, pulling her close, and cutting off her sentence. Calandra stood dumbly watching them, but a stray wind flew through the throne room dragging along the delicious scent to her. Venom built up in her mouth and she could barely hold herself back.

Someone nudged her from behind encouraging her to give in to her temptation. She walked mindlessly allowing the scent to become her crutches to walk. At the door she stopped holding the cool handle that contrasted greatly with the fire that rage along her throat.

"I hope you have a wonderful meal, precious," Heidi's alluring voice slid into a girlish giggle. If Alec had said something, it was for the walls and the wind because Calandra had already opened her box. The only thing she would listen to was the stop of her meals' heart.

* * *

Words flew past Alec's eyes while he flipped through his book. After rereading it so many times the book became jaded to him. His foot tapped against the leg of the chess table in front of him, as he thought deciding whether it was worth it to read his book again.

The snow still persisted late into December and compelled everyone to wear their heavier clothing. He could hear the voices of the juvenile guard members laughing about something felix their ring leader said or had done. Alec rolled his eyes and flipped to a random spot in his book.

Only a short time after, he heard the patter of footsteps and upon looking up caught Calandra's eye as she turned the corner. She stopped slightly surprised by him and quickly retreated before she completely turned. He dismissed the scared look in her eyes and went back to his book.

A few sentences later he heard a loud clink of marble hitting marble. Alec dropped his book in his lap staring at the white queen floating hesitantly in the air. It was the most out of the ordinary thing but was not the only change in the table. Pawns and other pieces rushed each other in a strategic war to save their monarchs. It was the midpoint of the game and evenly matched for an elementary level player.

Alec refocused his attentions on the ivory queen who floated in the air by itself.

"Come out," he said sounding extremely bored. A tiny child's hand materialized from the queen revealing Calandra, looking a bit more frightened than she was before. Alec took the queen from her hand and placed it back in its proper spot. He did the same with the other pieces until they all looked untouched.

"Do you know how to play?" he asked her. Calandra nodded yes choosing to remain silent. The black pawn was moved two spots ahead challenging the white army. She took in his move, and tentatively advanced her own pawn three spaces from his.

Each game only lasted a few minutes as Calandra had not seriously played chess before. The sun had long set and the hallway was now aglow with the candle light. Only a servant had passed by to light those candles, but otherwise they were undisturbed.

During the games there was a very light conversation, which usually consisted of one word answers and mocking looks. Alec picked up his piece and lifted it in the air ready to finish the game. Calandra stared at it knowing fully what he would say.

He leaned back and propped his head on his left hand. He smiled slyly at Calandra who fidgeted nervously at the wait. Alec opened his mouth while placing his piece down.

"Check-


	7. Chapter 7

-mate," Calandra said sitting so tall and proud in her seat. Her eyes almost closed matching the gay expression on her face. She waited expecting the recognition of her win from Alec. He sat looking at some random spot on the floor musing over something. The hand that was not propping up his head flicked out in a counting style. Calandra brushed away her side swept bangs and then covered her mouth clearing her throat a bit too loud to be polite.

Alec looked up at her in a half dazed state. Seemingly realizing her unasked question, he replied with an almost undetectable tone of sarcasm, "Oh sorry, I was just trying to calculate how long it took you to actually best me in a game."

Calandra's smug face fell immediately into a half-hearted frown. Alec continued, "It's been eleven years exactly hasn't it?"

**Chapter 7: Teasing Memories**

She did nothing to confirm his thoughts and only stared at him trying not to give into his teasing. Alec smiled releasing a light chuckle at Calandra. He leaned over clasping his hands together and stared her down with a boyish smile forming on his face.

"We played about three games a day didn't we?" he inquired again. Calandra sighed, and leaned forward.

"Alec, can you at least let me enjoy one victory?" Calandra said dully, but at the end of her sentence her accent surfaced. They both glanced at each other with contrasting looks. She looked so horrified at the drop in her defense, while Alec started to laugh at how easily he could annoy her with this.

"Oh we couldn't 'ave that, could we Mon petit chouchou?" Alec said mockingly. Her face was still, excluding the small twitch of her eyebrow. He continued his attack on her, keeping track of her little signals before she would go off on him. Next she would smile lightly in hopes of making him bored with her. As he predicted, a comment of how she might as well have cabbages in her cranium caused her to force a smile.

"Really, you been here for so long and you can't even hide your French that well." His remarks were uncalled for, but it was entertaining to pull at that long lost short-tempered nature.

She had change much from when she was a little child and her personality had evened out. He enjoyed her much more like this though, so much more controllable and easier to predict.

Her looks had improved with time. Maybe it was because of the fact that everyone finally got use to seeing that atrocious scar on her back so the emotional aura no longer bothered them. Heidi had also done her own magic in fixing Calandra up. Alec noted the presence of make up on her face. He personally did not feel she needed it, as what was the point of it? She had no one she needed to impress. Though it did bring out something appealing in her face…

Alec switched back to the chess game, not wanting to delve deeper into those thoughts. It took sometime, but these daily chess games became something he enjoyed. Quite honestly, no one in this castle was very good opponents. Calandra was not very good skill wise but at least did not crush the pieces when she lost, like Jane. This time might have been an exception though.

He moved his attention back to the current situation. She looked down, her face out of view from behind her long atramentous locks. He checked off the last mark on the list and readied himself for a show. When she looked up she was smiling squeezing her eyes together in forced happiness.

"Alec do you really want to hear an accent?" she said with the most saccharine voice she could muster up. "Vous pensez que vous savez tout! Mais votre arrogance sera votre mort! Vous êtes méchant et stupide! N'avez-vous pas honte?"

Alec's French was rusty and could only pick up simple words like "the" or "you". But even with his lack of understanding he could feel like those sweet sounding words were being flung at him like spitballs "Je suis désolé que ma voix jamais honoré vos oreilles, salaud. Au revoir." She got up in the rush only stopping at the corner. She turned around giving a sweeping overly dramatized curtsy.

Alec clapped laughing at her shouting out "Brava, Encore!" In return for his sarcastic cheering, Calandra shot an angry glare at him almost making an obscene gesture.

()()()()()()()()()()()

"I'm surprised, brother. I didn't know you have problems with soiling your clothes." Alec looked at Jane's reflection as she entered into his room. She plopped down on the bed looking more prim than usual.

"What are you talking about? I don't play in the mud." Alec said turning away from the mirror to face her. He continued to fumble around trying to tie his tie. He was not in the mood.

"Don't be so dense, Alec," she said throwing back her head, with a wicked laugh. "Calandra so neatly informed us of your lack of bladder control. Of course it was hard to understand her with all the sporadic cursing…" Having no luck in tying his tie blind he returned to the mirror allowing his sister to ramble on of the other lies Calandra spouted.

Alec had been dreading this day ever since Aro had announced the ball. Balls were tiresome things for him. It was the same every year. Aro would invite covens and nomads to take part in the celebration. It was well-known that its main purpose was to reinforce and show off the Volturi's power, but it had a second purpose that was not as obvious. With so many vampires in a contained area it was easy to keep track of covens, scout potential members, and find and kill any thoughts of betrayal. They didn't even realize this and they came like bees to their queen.

A diversity of wants, whether it be to live to see another day, or catching the attention of the handsomest of vampires, all of them squeezed into a little ball of hope. Even Alec had a want, a want for this ball to be over and never happen again.

He was appalled by the pettiness of the female sex, throwing themselves shamelessly at him. Each year their dresses seemed to become more gaudy and revealing. Last time he spent the whole ball trying not to be skewered by Phelicia Strunnerstraut, an Austrian vampire who had abysmal taste in masks.

He shuddered out loud remembering the extremely oversized and feathery beaked masks. She had a new one for each dance. She had hit him so many times with those stupid beaks he almost snapped them off not caring of her feelings.

That was not the most horrifying experience though, the prize for that went to the fair-haired Andromeda. She could hardly dance for her dress was cut so low her heavily endowed chest threatened to spill out at every turn. Even Heidi was not that shameless to wear something like a harlot. It became worse when she cornered him, and was not as careful as keeping her assets in. He was never more happy to see Marcus and would be in debt to him forever thanks to his rescue.

Balls were never going to hold a special place in his heart period. Hopefully this year would be mask and… those things free.

"Brother? Are you listening?" Jane peered over his shoulder into the mirror hoping to catch his attention. Alec pulled the tie tight and looked at Jane.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready too?" She gave such a funny look he couldn't help but chuckle. He reached for her blonde hair and patted down the fly-aways. He leaned in looking in to his sister eyes. Jane pushed away receiving his message.

"Fine brother, I will see you later."

()()()()()()()

"Lift your arms, Calandra," Heidi commanded. Calandra did as she was told and lifted them straight out. Heidi gave an unamused look as she searched for the bottom of the dress. "Over your head." Calandra blushed a little at her mistake and corrected the error. Lace and silk flashed by her eyes as the dress was put on her.

She was almost startled when she saw her reflection in the mirror. And it was not the good type of way. For one thing the neckline was too low in the back. Another thing it was just to low in the back.

"Heidi, didn't you say it wouldn't be too revealing?" Heidi looked up from her collection of sashes and hat pins. She had dragged Calandra from the hall earlier and put her into this room filled with dresses. Heidi immediately pushed her onto the tiny platform in front of the floor mirror not giving her any chances to wonder. Measuring tapes flew around her appendages and shoes smashed on to her "always too big" feet.

Demetri warned her that Heidi took these balls very seriously, but she didn't realize that he was not exaggerating with his outlandish descriptions.

"Don't be silly Calandra. In fact I think it needs to be lower. You need to show more cleavage"

"N-no, its fine!" Calandra exclaimed before Heidi could pin the front lower. "You have to let them think a bit." Heidi seemed satisfied by Calandra's save and returned to her bundle of sashes. Calandra looked over her shoulder at her reflection in the mirror.

The fact was the front half of the dress was not too bad really; she liked the way it exposed her shoulders and accentuated her waist. The neckline in the back – if it was still the same thing- revealed too much of her scar. It was hard enough trying to hide it when she already had clothes on but now that it was exposed, even Calandra felt sick looking at it. How Heidi was able to keep down her blood seeing that gnarly mess of scar, she had no idea.

Calandra moved her hair around trying to see if there was any way to cover it. Every time she thought she found the solution, a red area stuck out. She accepted defeat and took the green silk sash Heidi handed her.

"It matches your eyes." Heidi glided back to her collection of dresses humming while she decided what to wear. Calandra noted how the beautiful vampire seemed to be surrounded by roses when around her favorite things. Calandra gazed at green eyed girl in the mirror. She was paler than usual thanks to white powder makeup and her cheeks were pink more from embarrassment than blush. Her usually straight hair was curled and pulled up in a more mature style. She mirrored a smile back at Calandra with vermillion lips.

"_I can be pretty too_" she thought tying her sash quickly around her waist. This dress was tempting her too much. It's childish really to do what she wanted to do but, how could you not?

Calandra almost flew out of the room thanking Heidi, who complained again that the neckline should be lower and reminded her to do something about her eyes. She ran down the hallways with a clumsy gait thanks to the voluminous underskirt. Luckily, everyone was too busy taking care of the ball and Aro to be in the upper halls. She slipped into the library and began spinning around the large area in the middle.

It was so asinine really but she couldn't help it. The skirt was so fluffy. Calandra laughed obnoxiously at the fun she was having. Why couldn't this dress be perfect and not have a shallow back? She collapsed down onto the ground in a dizzy daze. Calandra picked at the delicate lace that hanged from the neck line and enjoyed the feeling of the silk passing under her fingers.

"I suppose a cream dress like that would not get soiled on the clean floors here." Calandra quickly got on her feet brushing her dress off. She could feel her ears heat up from embarrassment.

An older vampire about Marcus's age stood holding a large stack of books and scrolls. He smiled, not in a cruel or teasing manner like Alec but, a very gregarious way.

"I'm sorry I did not realize someone was in here. Are you here for the ball?" The man put down his reading materials and walked over to Calandra.

"Somewhat. I plan to stay here for a bit to gather some knowledge from this treasure trove." He said admiring the library. "Though I think I have underestimated how much was in it. Now I long to stay longer," he chuckled and Calandra awkwardly joined in. She had not noticed before but now that he was closer he had unusually gold eyes that matched his hair and clothes. Wasn't he a vampire? Unless she was like him. Another one with the humanification power.

"I'm sorry but may I ask you a question?" She inquired tentatively. He smiled again looking very fatherly. Definitely the exact opposite of Marcus.

"It is my eyes that you ask about? Is it not?" Calandra recoiled a bit surprised by his accurate guess. She nodded yes still curious about his eyes. "Would you mind to sit down for my tale?" He pulled out a near chair and Calandra sat down pushing her skirt against her legs. He continued to stand and cleared his throat ready to start.

"I grew up with an Anglican priest as a father. He always took me on his crusades against werewolves, vampires, and the like. Of course I never really liked these chases. My father always killed these innocent people. They did nothing to deserve being killed." He stopped covering his face trying to compose himself again. "Eventually I took over and was actually able to come across actual vampires. For short, I was attacked and changed. I was so disgusted with what I had become. I must have tried everything to kill off the monster in me. That deer, if I had not starved myself in an attempt to kill myself, was my answer to my troubles. You see, Vampires can drink animal blood and still have the same power, so it's unnecessary to take innocent human lives. That is why I have this color of eyes; it comes from a strict diet of animal blood only."

"Why is it so wrong?" He looked curiously at her wondering what she was referring to. "Humans."

"It's someone's life. They have family and friends. How can you rip that from them? He was entirely flabbergasted; it seemed, by her statement, though she was just as confused, if not irritated by his pompous conclusion.

"Did you eat meat as a human?" she asked in the most polite manner that she could procure.

"Yes," he replied carefully unsure of this subject change.

"And why did you do that?"

"I needed to eat in order to live."

"Then why is it so wrong for me to eat my food and try to live?" Calandra shot up letting the words cascade out of her mouth. "Animals have families too. A bird kills a worm to feed its babies in order for them to live. The cuckoo bird lays its eggs in other birds nest and the baby eventually drives the rightful offspring out and sometimes kills them. Are you going to tell the birds to find another way to survive? Are you going to tell the whale that it can't eat its krill?" Her words were close to becoming incomprehensible with her accent. There wasn't even a need for different stages leading up to her blow up.

"But those are animals-"she did not let him finish.

"Why is it that humans can massacre each other, lie, steal, sell their daughters for the price off a cow, use their sons as pawns, and make every single persons' life a miserable hell hole, but I can't survive like them killing others in order to live?" She started half scoffing half laughing. "It's insane why is the world so biased to them? I'm a vampire, those are animals, and those are humans. I have a friend and I have a father. We all need to eat to survive so why is it wrong when we feed on humans?" Calandra hand shook from her rage. Really what was so wrong? The man was smart enough to not continue the debate and bowed to her.

"I apologize and I realize that not everyone is suited for this lifestyle. I think it would be best to end before things become to hostile. I will leave first. Goodbye…"

"Calandra." She said flatly, still not enchanted with their conversation.

"Though we may not share the same ideals we do share a first letter. I am Carlisle. Carlisle Cullen." He bowed to her and turned around leaving.

()()()()()()()()()()

The musicians started another minuet at the pleading of the younger guests. Couples stood ready in their gaudy garb as the first notes of the minuet commenced. Ladies stepped lightly and delicately in their silk shoes, all trying to outshine others with their good breeding.

Calandra watched the flurry of dresses and elegant sways of the dancers from the shadows. She ensconced on an ornate couch placed in the side alcove of the circular ballroom. It was partially covered by the red velvet curtains that were pulled to the side. She knew that no one could see her, so she allowed her legs up on the couch exposing her ankles. Her arm had been supporting the weight of her head for so long she was sure the carving on the armrest was indented into her elbow. Her other arm was luckier only needing to hold her fan that rested in her lap.

The crowd seemed to radiate light created by their euphoria. The ladies, all extremely beautiful, wore enormous skirts with as much decoration as possible. Dresses sagged under the weight of their jewels.

Peacock was a popular theme for the ladies' garments. Calandra covered her mouth, with her fan, stifling a laugh upon seeing one lady who had an actual peacock in her hair. The beast was surprisingly well behaved though once in a while it would puff its chest out and bury itself into her head looking a bit mad. Unfortunately the smell of its droppings deterred the "uniqueness" of it.

The ball was very interesting as it was the first one she was allowed to attend. All the years before she was placed in the tower to be a good girl and stay in Marcus's room, now she could see how the volturi acted when they relaxed.

Her eyes found Demetri and Felix who were surrounded by a gaggle of girls. The two friends were very different in their Casanova ways.

Felix showed off to his followers by lifting three off them with just one hand. They all giggled and turned red at his bawdy jokes and innuendoes.

Demetri on the other hand had his girls turning red from his perfect gentleman demeanor. He kissed their hands and complimented them until Calandra thought the girls would burst from ecstasy.

"A true gentleman!" a girl, who had been over there, said to her friend as they gossiped against the column. Calandra herself felt truly lucky to be his friend.

Of course attention was not only focused on them. Heidi commanded the attention of everyone. So many men wanted to dance with her that she had to dance with each for only half a song. Adede was just as popular with the vampires around her age. They weaved and bobbed after the enchanting girl in her ruby dress, playing an intense game of tag.

She spotted her father sitting in his usual emotionless stupor in the balcony overlooking the room. At least he was trying harder to seem interested even if it looked like he had not changed.

The two other thrones had an unusual discrepancy in them. Aro's throne was empty. Aro always liked to be at the highest point because it gave him the best view of everything.

Caius's seat was occupied by a blonde haired man but it was not him. Carlisle Cullen was sitting in his seat. His face almost matched Marcus's but he was too disgusted; probably disgusted by all these barbaric bloodsuckers.

_Ooooo we're so evil aren't we. _

_Shut up Cassandra_

_Wow do you say anything other than shut up?_

_Silence your mouth_

_That doesn't even make sense c-_

Calandra whipped her hand around grabbing Alec's hand that had lunged for her throat. She almost fell off the couch with how much power she needed to use. He smiled looking particularly good in his clothes_. _Calandra also couldn't help but notice his tumbled dark hair had been pulled back like the other men at the ball. It didn't fit him as well.

"What is it Alec?" She released his hand slapping it down. Calandra turned away from him still annoyed.

"You shouldn't turn your back on someone you've been insulting." His hand grabbed her waist pulling her into him. The momentum of the pull caused her head to collide with his cheek. He looked straight ahead not moving except to compliment her teasingly, "You're looking very pretty tonight tough."

She tried to look at him but her forehead was stuck firmly against his cheek limiting her view. Her lips parted ready to spit out something clever or witty but her mind was inconveniently misplaced at the moment.

The smell of him smothered her senses making her feel sick and claustrophobic. Whatever he was looking at amused him enough to let her go. Of course he plopped her straight on the ground stuffing his hands into the pockets of his coat. Calandra grabbed her fallen fan and brushed the dirt off of it. She picked herself off the ground heading in the opposite direction. A slight gagging sound could be heard from Alec as he followed her around that cramped hallway created by the columns.

"Not so pretty anymore am I," she scoffed. His footsteps stopped suddenly and Calandra gave in to her curiosity almost afraid to see why he stopped.

"It's a scar, it's not suppose to be pretty. " He rolled his eyes not intentionally trying to show his repugnance for her idiotic and superficial specifications for a scar. "Just don't walk ahead of me anymore."

He placed his hand on her head pushing her back as he glided by. Calandra followed him dumbly, not wanting the conversation to end, now that he issued that contradictory request. They only made a quarter of the way around the column lined ring surrounding the ballroom floor, when Aro appeared from the crowd. He did not stay long and only gave a look with those ambitious red eyes in their direction. Like an invisible wall was placed in front of him, Alec about faced to Calandra grabbing her hand.

"You've come far with controlling your adapting power haven't you?" He said while pulling her into the crowd. They pushed, Alec leading the way, through the stationary conversers till they breached the sacred circle of the dancers. He pulled her around to occupy a spot next to the peacock lady and her escort. The musicians started a slow waltz and Alec bowed low then offered his hand to Calandra who followed suite accepting it. As soon as they were closer Calandra asked, "Why are you trying to gauge my skill now?"

A muddle look was given in reply but that was when she saw it. A tiny orb, which could be mistaken as part of the shimmering chandeliers, floated above Alec's head. Calandra tightened her grip of his shoulder and hand excited by this realization.

Aro had enthusiastically encouraged her to perfect her abilities. Begrudged at first when she was a child, she learned to find it exciting after being able to call the simple skill of levitating herself an inch off the ground. Now at this time, she was able to immediately read the minds of those who opened themselves to her.

_Hey, whoa stop pushing there's not enou- Calandra can you hear me?_

Alec's inner voice unknowingly pushed away Calandra's own resident voices silencing their complaints. Such a contrast was his steady words from the high pitched and somber voices that quarreled in her consciousness. Calandra nodded as they continued to waltz along with the other dancers.

She closed her eyes imagining the orb growing bigger, allowing his voice to come in clearer. For a split second she thought she saw something but her eyelids jolted open.

_Do you see the man with the silver clothes and black hair?_

Calandra's eyes skipped around searching for the color combination. She stopped at a man who had such a strong handsome face that she didn't know why she didn't see him in the first place.

_That one?_

She pushed the sentenced into his mind.

_Yes, now Aro wants you to do a simple task. Kill that man as discreetly as possible. Do whatever it takes to kill him off silently and without anybody even saying that you were around him. _

Calandra almost stopped right in the middle of the ballroom at hearing this. She looked at the man who stood holding his blood wine mingling with the crowd. Possibly he was only five years older than her. What would lure him away from the crowd? Most likely by his looks and his carriage, he was confident and eager for more interesting pursuit.

_Why?_

_I'm just here to tell you what you need to know, but you probably need to show you're actually worth the liability. Everyone has their worth. Felix the strength, Adede the speed, my sister the interrogator…etc._

Everyone had their certain small little jobs in the guard. Calandra had seen the most obvious example from Jane who was always called for when a vampire was not talking even when threatened with death. They could experience pain worse than death but still be alive to spill their guts. That's when it sunk in. what her abilities were, her appearance, even her goldfish memory they all pointed to an obvious direction.

She kept this thought to herself, for she still did not trust anybody with this knowledge. What if Aro didn't want her to know?

_Do you understand?_

Calandra ripped herself from the thoughts and started to concentrate on the task at hand. The waltz ended and Alec bowed and then slipped away in the crowd reappearing next to Jane on the 2nd floor. Calandra headed off back into the shadows with her plan completely formed. A humming energy built up in her fingertips waiting to be used. It wasn't long before an unfortunate girl passed by alone. Her energy filled hand covered the girls face stooping her completely. Calandra pulled her hands away revealing the girl's now vacant looking expression. A simple flick of Calandra fingers mimicking a walking motion sent the girl off.

She, herself, bounded up the large staircase up to her father who torpidly sighed in his seat. Marcus barely looked at her when she approached him, still moping like a puppy who had been hit by a carriage.

"Hello Papa," she said cheerfully trying to counterbalance his gloom. Not even a moan could be given to his daughter for his grief was too thick. "Maybe another day papa," she wistfully reassured him of a day where he could move on from her deceased adoptive mother.

While she continued to fuss over her father, she kept track of her puppet and target in her peripherals. Just a few more minutes and she could successfully distance herself from the scene of the crime.

Carlisle had been watching her since she first started up the stairs. He stayed silent not wanting to incite her into anther debate. Her hands tucked neatly behind her back trying to hide the miniscule thread of energy that flowed from each of her fingertips. A frosty arctic wind sent in his direction by a glare caused him to a look away.

The puppet was only a few feet away from the target and enough time had passed. Calandra looked up at the second level where Alec stared at her seeing what she would do. Jane who stood next to him was watching the target. Her already pale knuckles had turned white from gripping the balcony in excitement. But the most important person stood behind them. Aro looking so regal and proud of himself was waiting for the show.

Calandra stepped behind Marcus obscuring everyone's view of her hands. While her top half pretended to be enamored with the glass ceiling, her hands moved like a puppet master controlling every movement of the puppets.

Now the black-haired man was only inches from her puppet. Calandra blinked but instead of darkness she saw what her puppet saw. The man moved forward like he was looking for something but it was a deadly mistake. Calandra pushed her hands forward suddenly changing her ability to a small charge of fire. She was unsure if the strings had lingered long enough for the fire to travel to her puppet and then to the target.

But reassurance came in the sound of shrieks.

**Please Review.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Blue and Orange Memories**

It was amazing how fast one could move even when hindered with large skirts. The ladies of the ball tonight were set on amazing Calandra tonight.

As soon as she had sent her puppet's hand through the back of the target, the tiny fire balls appeared and ignited the venom. He had no chance at all with the fire burning inside him. Nowhere, where he could escape.

Marcus turned around looking at his daughter. His sulking eyes clearly stated his sentence "overkill much?" But Marcus's opinion did not matter if Aro was happy. Overkill was one of Aro's favorite things. And she was right because a half-smile had formed on the said vampire's face.

The target now was an unrecognizable heap of ashes and bones and her puppet now released stood dazed oblivious of what she had done. A hurried lady with cascading red hair threw people out of the way as she rushed to the center of the mess. Her back was turned to Calandra so she could not see her face but how the lady's frame quivered conveyed grief and hatred. She fell to her knees and that was when a lone strangled dry cry fell out into the ballroom.

The crowd moved away, some filtering into the other rooms feeling that the enormous ballroom suddenly felt too small. Marcus got up, muttering something unintelligible, to probably go enjoy a quieter seat. She watched him go until he disappeared in the hallway behind the thrones.

Calandra slipped down onto the top steps pressing herself against the railing. Aro had come down from the second level to address the problem as the concerned host. Diplomatic words to calm the masses were used and only two were left uncomforted. Charlene, the puppet, backed up scared for what was to become of her. A mate could not rest until their loved one's death was avenged, not succeeding in that was shown by a certain half comatose father. The red-head would not leave without killing Charlene or die trying.

One good thing that came out of it was Calandra had chosen an unmated new coven member leaving less blood on her hands. Aro extended his hand to the red-head lifting her quivering frame toward Charlene. Words went back and forth in deep discussions on a verdict. They were not going in Charlene's way as her eyes grew large like a doe and that's when Calandra saw it.

A happy Charlene danced around her room in her fine dress. A type of luxury that the girl never had before. So excited, like Calandra before who also thought that for tonight she could be pretty too.

_I can be pretty too_

Calandra fell back covering her mouth trying to calm herself down before she went into a panic attack. She started to slow her breath and study everything but the vision. Of all the times to have a conscious she had to have one now. No, nothing happened; she could not dwell on what had already been done.

She pushed herself back up allowing the railing to be a shoulder to lean on. Someone was listening to her thoughts that night. The grand peacock that had been residing in the nest hair strode around on the stairs. It's famous green feathers were bundled behind it creating a long train. It climbed the stairs stopping every once in a while to check if the marble had food. When it stopped in front of her it opened its mouth giving a whispered call.

"Waah aaaah aaaah."

Such a nasty and irritating noise from such a pretty bird.

_Pretty_

"Stop stop, don't think about," Calandra told herself.

"Calandra what are you doing here?" She looked up to see Demetri and his shy smile. Alec stood behind him still watching her.

* * *

"_You won't have much time left," Alec said handing her an unlit lamp. The room was dimly lit and everything looked hazier and darker than normal. Calandra got up from the couch gathering her knapsack and fixing her ill-fitting slacks. She turned the lamp on adding more light to the cabin but prepped herself for the giant gust of the worst winter wind. Alec came over to the door unlocking it and said his last advice. "Go east from here and try to keep the lantern hidden inside the cloak so only a bit of light shines out. A new moon is a blessing and a curse in these woods." _

_The door opened and snowflakes rushed in with the sharp wind. She stepped out her feet crunching in the snow. When she reached the tree line, she looked back at the cabin where Alec stood in the doorway still watching her…_

* * *

"Are you okay?" Demetri placed her hand on her shoulder bringing her back.

"Yes, I-I'm fine Demetri. I'm just tired. It's bee-" Her sentence was cut off by the scream of Charlene. Calandra unwilling turned to look at the red-head tearing apart Charlene. When she had finished and the body parts deposed of in a fireplace, Aro clapped his hands together announcing to everyone else, "Well let's continue the festivities shall we?"

A servant dashed over, cleaning up the ashes and the musicians fired up their most merry and fast tempo song they knew. Everyone seemed eager to become happy again and listened to Aro's words.

"Demetri, I'm going to go," Calandra told her friend. And like a ghost she disappeared into the stairs.

()()()()()()()()

The nightmares had come that early morning. Though she could not remember them, the cold sweat and lack of breath she had waken with disclosed how bad they had been. Calandra flipped over looking at white flowing curtains that moved softly with the almost stagnant breeze. She had closed those doors earlier but there were spaces between the frames allowing air in.

Each breath turned into a white fog as it evacuated her throat. Calandra buried herself deeper into the flimsy blankets provided for her. It was too cold even for a vampire.

_Can you put all the blankets around your head? It's getting cold in here._

"Here," Calandra tossed the blankets on the couch, giving it to the voices. "Share please."

_Mhmm maybe it would be easier if…_

She tuned out their squabbling while she pulled back her hair getting ready to leave. Her hair now undone from its intricate style, curls stuck out in every direction making it hard to pull it back into a simple plait. And thanks to the nightmares, they had become knotty and frizzy increasing the volume of her hair to a fluffiness level comparable to a sheep. A sheep that was long overdue for a trim.

"_Sorry Nannette, at least I did it eventually…" _Calandra apologized silently to her old sheep which she had repeatedly put off shaving many an afternoon.

Broken hair fell onto her crisscrossed legs as she ran her fingers through the knots. Letting her digits take lead on her hair, her eyes wandered to the notches on the foot frame of her bed. She remembered when she was eight, scratching those in as she made actual friends. Out of the thirteen scratched in, one was deeper than the others. That one was Demetri's.

Maybe Demetri would be willing to give her one his decorative covers her kept in his room. Calandra tied her braid and unwrapped her legs getting ready for her short trip. Her toes curled and prodded her slippers trying to push them into the right places. With them finally on Calandra paused, her body leaning against the edge of the mattress.

The quiet and slow beat of her heart filled in the empty staff and the room added tones of blue, white, and silver to the melody. She looked down at herself seeing the melancholy melody that her mother once sang in the cool color palette of the morning shadows

_When skylarks and the birds _

_Fly across the sky _

_They'll tell you where I left my heart last_

_Beyond the trees…_

That was all she could recall lyrics wise but she could never forget how hard she cried when the song was done. Those days were gone but still stayed faintly in her heart.

It was weird how nostalgic she was this morning. A look to the couch and one last breath and Calandra walked out of her cold and appropriately matching blue shades bathed room.

In the corridor she counted off the doors trying to remember which room belonged to who. Felix was diagonally left of her room, and then Heidi was to the right five doors down… and then Demetri was across from her next to Chelsea and Afton's room. At least that's what she thought. Sure she could sense their presence but with the thick stone walls and the paneling over them presences and scent became a bit muddled; too muddled for such small spaces like bedrooms.

She stopped in front of what she thought was Demetri's room. It wasn't entirely ridiculous that she didn't know where her closest friend resided. Demetri was always out tracking someone so he was rarely seen in his quarters, though Felix was always seen slipping into this room.

Before she could knock, the door opened revealing the very person she was hoping for.

"Calandra, do you need anything?" Demetri said in his stiff politeness. He looked

"Umm, do you have any blankets?" she asked. His faced moved like he was laughing to himself.

"I-I I don't think you you want them." He slumped against the wall failing at holding in his laughter. "Oh Calandra, you really don't want those." Calandra stood dumbly in the hallway unsure why she would detest his blankets. She just wanted to be warm and the heated air tickled at her face teasing her.

"Come in, I'll see if I can find anything else that might do." He pushed the door wider letting her slip under his arm into the warm room. It was a lot like hers but instead of entering and being able to see most of the room there was a corridor.

Calandra allowed Demetri to squeeze by in the cramped and dark corridor. The only light came from behind the half opened door. She could see the large shadow of a couch created by the light of a fire. A faint mumbling of a song with lewd lyrics could be heard coming from behind the door.

His room was opposite of hers. It was filled with a great diversity of warm colors. As if the artist became obsessed with the colors of autumn.

Demetri pushed it open revealing a couch angled toward the fireplace. On it lay, a half intoxicated Felix. Well, he was not intoxicated but sure acted like a drunken bum. A pair of lacey lady bloomers covered his face and he was naked except for a large white sheet that was wrapped around his lower half.

His hand lazily pawed at the bloomers trying to get them off his face.

"Hey Calandra!" he said. Demetri went past her disappearing through another doorway. He still shook his head laughing quietly at the blanket subject.

"I knew after you turned sixteen it wouldn't be long before you came for me. Don't worry, I don't discriminate. I like all shapes of women." He adjusted his position on the couch to best show off his toned body, those red eyes twinkling with mischievous thoughts. Calandra walked closer with a sultry gait.

"Yes Felix, ravage my body, bring me to womanhood, taint this white flower," she said, her voice airy but oozing with passionate sarcasm. Calandra mimicked how Heidi would move her body while she flirted. Folding her arms pulling her nightgown tight against her skin, she leaned over inspecting Felix. He, in response, sat up interested in their little folly.

"Really?" he said.

"No." both Calandra and Demetri said simultaneously to Felix.

"Hey, I think we had a moment back there. It was pretty amazing." Felix pointed back and forth between him and Calandra. Demetri came over, a clean white bed sheet in hand.

"I found one that didn't get ruined by our dear Lothario over there." He placed it on Calandra covering her up and then whispered just to her, "now you're ghost costume is complete." Referring back to her exit before.

"I'm no more of a womanizer than you!" Felix accused breaking up Calandra and Demetri's conversation.

"Six women and you have the audacity to the deed in my own room."

"Ooooh," Calandra said quietly finally realizing why she would not care for the sheets. Demetri snatched up a flower vase and stalked over to Felix. Felix lifted his arms playfully trying to block the vase, but Demetri jumped on him successfully breaking the face against Felix's head.

Demetri stopped tackling Felix only to say, "Aro wants us to go on a job for him later, so don't sleep for too long."

Calandra silently hoped that it was not another assassination job. She wrapped the sheet tight around her and started the journey back to the room. Felix could be heard offering to escort Calandra back to the room and the sound of a punch making contact with a groan from Felix immediately followed.

Leaving the warm palette in search of her blue shaded dreams, Calandra frowned slightly at thought of confronting her nightmares again.

**Please Review.**

**Thanks to City bookworm for review.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry again for the super late chapter update, I got walking pneumonia and I broke my wrists and hands, well it's actually the muscles in that area that are just really messed up, as my doctor said with a medical equivalent phrase of "how the fuck did you do this?" I'm finally able to type again without it hurting as much so chapter updates should return back to normal. I like to thank Aueraelia for the follow and octobermarie for the review. **

**Chapter 9: Miasmatic Memories **

It was suppose to be a quiet trek to England in order to make Demetri's tracking of the nimble newborns easier. Of course being in the company of the two most mischievous guard members, you would be thankful that they didn't light the forest on fire.

Ever since they had left the castle, Calandra and Felix had been punching each other; An unchanging, never wavering, monotonous rhythm. Even with them behind him, Demetri could clearly differentiate each punch. Calandra's were muffled while Felix's were loud and followed by the sound of Calandra slipping in the watery mix of mud and snow.

Spring was creeping in the shadows. It was still too far off for the actual start of spring, but that didn't stop that breaking energy from leaking into the subconscious of everyone's minds. Like the flowers that pushed against the thawing earth, this energy fractured focused thoughts and turned them into chimerical daydreams. This made Demetri's job harder as he had to sift through all those dreams barraging the connection. Adding vexatious noise, which seemed to thunder through the morning woodland, made tracking for the first time slightly difficult.

He could tell them to be quiet. No, it would be rude, but he had been waiting already this long without saying a word. It would only be a few seconds before he had a substantial and clear connection. Demetri tried to form the words that would stop this torture. Telling them to shut up would be just a bit too scurrilous, for his character. Something more subtle and polite would do well enough… right?

"Excuse me, but I thought it was supposed to be quiet?" He asked futilely trying to mask annoyance. There was no stop in the running but the time for another punch by Calandra had passed. Demetri smiled and began his work.

_SMACK_

Demetri whipped around, focus completely broken.

"Do you have to do that?!" He yelled exasperated. Demetri tried to keep his stern annoyed face, but seeing the surprised poses of his friends were priceless. Calandra's and Felix's mouths were agape at the unusual outburst. Felix was paused leaning forward, arm still out in a punch. Calandra was almost on the ground with only two fingers keeping her off of it. Both looked scared of what they had caused in Demetri.

"Do both not know the definition of quiet?" Demetri said giving under the pressure to laugh. He started walking ahead to try and cover the rest of the laugh. The two scared friends adjusted themselves looking relieved that Demetri was not totally angry with them.

Of course according to the sacred rules of those two's camaraderie, he was answered with two playful grins. Calandra ran up first to him with a bouncy spin to walk backwards ahead of him.

"Demetri, we are being quiet," she said in a pleading innocent way and her eyes wide, "the definition of quiet is no loud noises. We were not making any loud noises." She put so much emphasis on "not" that it made her seem guiltier.

"Really that was quiet?" Demetri asked astonished.

"Well, it really depends on a person's view. From my view, Felix, my friend, and I were being respectably quiet." She explained placing her hand on her heart and the other extended to Felix.

"You sound like you're pleading you're case to the king."

"Oh no if I were pleading my case to the king I would say…" Felix ran up to Demetri's side and fell onto his knees.

"OH YOUR MAJESTY," he clasped his hands together shaking them at Demetri. "YOUR MAJESTYYYYYYY. WAS MY COMPANION'S WORDS NOT ENOUGH TO SWAY YOU?" Felix continued to plead and destroy Demetri's personal space. Every time Demetri moved away from him he would follow on his knees pushing through the mud and snow until he was almost on top of Demetri. "PLEASE BE MERCIFUL YOUR GRACE! MOST AWE-INSPIRING AND POWERFUL ARE YOU, COULD YOU NOT FIND IN YOUR HEART TO SPARE A FOOLISH DOLT AND HIS JUVENILE CHARGE?"

"Felix, stop that…I FORGIVE YOU!" Demetri said frantic. The balance between the two was severely off causing them to totter. Demetri flailed his arms trying to stop a fall that would come at any moment. Of course that moment came right away. If the punches from earlier seemed to roar like thunder through the forest, then the fall would seem like an asteroid impact to the nearby critters.

Demetri groaned from underneath Felix, both of them covered with a good amount of mud. Felix got up kissing Demetri's hand in thanks for his mercy. He continued on to laugh with a doubled over Calandra.

"This must be so amusing for you." Demetri said looking at multiple upside-down Calandras. She crouched down holding her stomach; eyes squeezed shut from laughing so hard.

"Yes!" She said not even bothering to deny it. Demetri got up brushing the mud that had splattered on his face and clothes. No amount of wiping, though would clean up the mud saturated cloak. He discontentedly took it off and folded over his arm.

"We need to stop fooling around," he said, reminding both of what needed to be done. He plopped the cloak on Calandra and started running before they could be anymore side tracked.

The time it took to get to England from Italy was that of a long stroll for the fastest of vampires sans Adede who would get there in less than fifteen minutes. They only crossed the channel a while ago and anymore delays would cause them to lose the window of attack. In an hour there would be more than a comfortable handful of humans up that might witness the slaying of the newborns.

Demetri could feel the newborn group move erratically in the woodland. They constantly stopped and then started off again in a different direction only to stop and comeback. There had to be a struggle for power going on. If it stayed that way it would be a perfect ambush. He motioned to Felix and Calandra to ready them for a fight. Another sprint and their scent would easily be carried on a changing breeze right to the newborns.

He nodded to Calandra to start but something changed. Demetri leaped and grabbed Calandra stopping her sprint.

"What happened?" Calandra exclaimed. Her eyes frantically searched Demetri's face for the answer.

"They split up," he explained, "if we attack the larger group the others might come back and attack us from behind." Felix got up from his crouched position looking much calmer than Calandra.

"So we split up…" Felix suggested, "Who wants to go alone?"

"How many in the smaller group," Calandra asked quietly. She had that same brooding look on her face that told Demetri she had made up her mind.

"Two, heading west." She nodded her head taking in the information provided.

"You two can handle the larger group fine, I presume?" She said jokingly. Her smile seemed off today. Something was bothering her but Demetri could not tell exactly what. When they stopped once in awhile she had been shaking her shoulders like something was pushing down on them. Even during the extremely silly moment, when she wasn't laughing at them, she was touching her heart in a way that elderly humans did to relieve chest pains. Felix didn't seem to be too concerned with Calandra going alone so why should he?

"Don't make us wait," Felix said patting her back. Calandra grimaced as he had hit her scar.

"Be careful," Demetri warned.

"No Demetri, I have my heart set on dying today. You can't convince me otherwise," Calandra said while dumping his muddy cloak in his arms. One last lackluster smile and her silhouette dissolved into the tree dominated landscape.

Demetri tossed the cloak in his hands debating his next move. So far Calandra had been moving quick enough that she was almost caught up with the renegades. It would be time for Felix and him to make their own tactical move.

"How far can you throw this?" Felix snatched it from his hands and chucked it eastward, clear over the tree line. Demetri stared at the tiny black dot in the sky that was his cloak.

"Pretty far," Felix said. Demetri thanked him with a sigh. He rolled his shoulders back, readying himself for the fight. Felix followed suit, crouching once again and waited for his signal.

They looked at each other for only a second before Demetri waved his hand to go. Unlike times before, Demetri stayed behind Felix. Other than his own ability, he only had slightly above average strength and speed. Being swarmed by newborns could be fatal to him than with Felix.

"AHHHHH," A female vampire shrieked as Felix plowed her down, ripping her appendages off. The other fourteen newborns were farther down the rocky hill looking frightened and disorganized. They whipped around trying to keep their backs away from him and the direction where his jacket lay.

Four of the stronger-looking newborns plucked up enough courage to charge at Felix. They tried to mob him but he easily overpowered them and pinned two of them to the ground. Demetri peeled the other two off of him and sent them tumbling down the rocky hill. He was about to head after them but then a feeling of intense heat rushed over the back of his neck. It was like someone had poured molten metal so it just grazed him. He looked in the direction of where the heat had come from to see a white fireball coming straight at him.

Demetri launched the appendage less female newborn, who had been trying to piece herself back together, in front of him. Not even a few seconds could be spent on the girl in the fire's mind; it ripped through her body and continued toward Demetri. He dropped down to the ground, rolling himself into a perfectly sized crevice. The fire rushed past but he was not left untouched.

Demetri hissed in pain as a one of the tiny sparks that fell from the ball ignited a pile of leaves by his feet. He stamped furiously at it trying to put it out before it could consume him.

In Demetri's panic, the owner of the fire had come over and watched him with that crazed newborn look in his eyes; that type of watching that showed the pure ecstasy they felt from seeing their prey scared and flailing around for their life.

"Stuck in between some rocks and a hot place are we?" The man raised his hand forming another fireball. Demetri would not be able to pull himself out of the way now. He stiffened ready for what would seem like hours of an inescapable hell.

His attacker thrust his hand to finish Demetri but was tackled by Felix. Demetri covered his mouth thankful that this crevice would not become his urn.

"You okay?" Felix asked extending his hand out to help his shaken friend up. Demetri nodded his previous annoyance with Felix and his never serious personality had disappeared. While he had been down, the two from earlier had made their way back up the hill and the rest of the newborns had realize there was not a third member. Instead of running away, they approached them. Any fear that had been in their bodies was banished.

Demetri and Felix stood back to back taking in their surroundings. The odds were back in their favor as the fire maker had been killed by his own ability. The others, really, only had their numbers to their advantage, as no other seemed to possess a juggernaut of a power like the one before.

Felix made the first move, barreling through the newborns ripping limbs and heads. Demetri set out to finish his work with the two before. He dashed between the trees with the two following closely behind. Each time a tree came in front of him he waited till the last minute to weave around.

A squat tree appeared and seeing a chance to finally shake them Demetri slid to a stop and turned around. The newborns smiled thinking that he had given up and ran harder to swiftly kill him. He waited till they were so close he could feel their breath on his face and then he ducked.

The ground shook from the collision and roots from the tree pierced the ground. The two newborns were dazed long enough for Demetri to whip back around and tear their heads off.

Not taking any chances of them reattaching themselves, Demetri tore their bodies into little pieces and covered their heads with flat rocks. A time to build a fire would be for later. Felix was still tearing through a greatly diminished group of newborns.

Demetri rushed back to his friend's side taking out a few more newborns. The newborns' mistakes became more frequent and costlier.

The final head was ripped and the ground was littered with bodies. A fire was started and body parts were retrieved. Felix and Demetri stood watching the bodies burn.

"Aro is going to have a fit with us," Demetri murmured.

"Killing that pyromaniac? No, unless you are using 'fit' as a euphemism for tantrum," Felix replied. He shook his head laughing and continued, "But I know in dad's name I do not want to be Calandra."

Unfortunately for Calandra, she was the typical victim of Aro's rage. Even though she had no part in destroying such a tremendously gifted vampire, the fact she had not turned out to be the strongest of the Volturi's abilities was enough to shift the blame. Demetri felt bad for her but Aro was too stubborn to change. Poor Calandra… Demetri then realized that she had not met them yet. Was she waiting where her battle was fought?

"Speaking of Calandra… shouldn't we go get her?" Felix suggested like he had read Demetri's mind. Demetri nodded and started to pinpoint Calandra's location. It came to him almost instantaneously.

"It's unusual. She's not moving at all." Demetri commented. He expected her to be pacing around waiting for them to come but she showed no signs of moving anytime soon.

"She probably fell asleep or something," Felix speculated. They both shrugged not thinking much more about it.

()()()()()()()()()()()

It was not long before they could see a black figure between the trees, sitting on the ground.

"See, she was just waiting for us. Calandra!" Felix hollered. Stepping into the small clearing where their friend sat, Demetri felt overcome by a feeling of dread. Something was terribly off with the situation. He called her name this time hoping that she would respond.

_Ba-dum_

Nothing. Not even a small twitch of her hands that were held out in front of her like she was receiving something. Why were her hands li-

_Ba-dum_

He saw it. He saw the whole scene, not just the actress in the spotlight. The glint, he mistook for the typical reaction of vampire skin when exposed to the sun, was too dull even for Calandra. It was instead a purplish-blue slime that looked like it coated her hand and a good part of her lower arm. The real shimmer came from another vampire lying on the ground a yard or two in front of her.

Demetri walked cautiously, unsure if the vampire was completely dead or not. The gory wounds, oozing the same gunk, seemed deadly but fire was the only known foolproof way to kill a vampire. It would take something extremely potent to effectively kill a vampire without tearing and fire. Demetri went to trace his hand along the bite wound along the girls face but a shaking voice stopped him.

"Poi…Poisson," Calandra muttered. He turned around, taking a small moment to ready himself before looking at his friend.

Her eyes were wide and pupils dilated from shock. They stared at her hands still trying to register what had happened to them. Her left hand was clean when compared to her right. It was dirty and had tiny scrapes on the front. Her long hair, that had been tightly braided back, spilled over her shoulders. She had worn her hair long for some time but today, only one side remained long as the other was cleanly cut like her childhood style. A shallow cut on her neck was consistent with this new hair line. His eyes followed the small droplets down to the largest of injuries.

The black fabric of her cloak stuck to her body, soaked with blood. He couldn't tell how deep or how big the wound was but he could see the blood splatter that stained the snow. The same poisonous slime was also intermixed with the splatter marks.

"Demetri!" Felix called with the sound of deep howl following. Demetri got up to help Felix but then paused questioning if it was right to leave his dying companion.

"I..I'll b-be fine. It's al-l ways l-like this. All I h-have to… do i-is wai…" the constant was left to drift silently out of her parted lips. The slow and infrequent heartbeats became quieter and irregular sounding.

It's weird to hear someone die. Weird, Alien, Demetri had not seen someone die in front of him. In the heat of the fray he couldn't pause to see them before the next opponent. Now he wondered in that split moment of time, did everyone one who was near the end look like Calandra; staring into a different world, giving up like this was a daily routine for her. Letting death take another of her infinite collection of lives, like a friend sharing secrets.

"Demetriiiii," Felix called again. Demetri stopped giving seconds to Calandra and decided not give another glance to make sure she was fine with being left.

"You need to see this," Felix motioned to a slightly steep decline in the clearing. Indeed it was something he needed to see. A gigantic wolf snarled and growled at them as it lay in the snow. It tried to get up and attack them but it took so much energy just to lift its head. The poisonous sludge had done its work here too. It matted the auburn fur surrounding a three or two feet long cut on the wolf's abdomen.

"How would we kill him? We can't touch that poison. It did so much to Calandra and she was human." Demetri asked. The wolf was the opposite of Calandra before death, fuming and willful, fighting to that bitter end. The idea of toting a bite scar around on his face did not excite him at all.

Felix ran through a list of ways they could finish off the wolf quickly, "Bury it, burn it, drown it… it stinks like it came from the sulfur ponds. We'd be doing it a favor."

"We should just do the same as we've always done." Demetri decided. Felix sighed at such a mundane way of killing. While he started a fire, Demetri began brushing away the lines the wolf made when it tried to drag itself away from the earlier fight.

The howling and the snarling didn't last long and was replaced by the sorrowful whimpers. Then silence came; only the crackling of the fire devouring its large furry fuel was left to speak.

Felix ripped off a large branch from a nearby tree and carefully lit it. They both walked back to Calandra and the deceased vampire quietly. What could they expect? Calandra to be standing there as a little girl again, angry for whatever reason her irrational baby mind thought of. Or the worse, Calandra actually dead.

Her clothes were in a large clump on the ground like she had simply evaporated out of them. A crow landed nearby and hopped its way toward the pile. It pulled at the loose strings of what use to be Calandra's cloak.

He was surprised that the crow didn't fly away when Felix tossed the torch on the dead body. That bird had no sense of survival at all. Even when Demetri himself approached the clump, the bird continued pecking and pulling at loose strings.

"Hey shoo," Demetri told it, waving his hands to scare away. The crow retorted and ruffled its feathers before hopping off. Some of the strings it was trying to pull were actually pieces of Calandra's like colored hair.

He carefully moved the cloak, avoiding the poisonous residue, to reveal a sleeping child's face. He nudged her cheek trying to get her up but she didn't respond. He would have to carry her but her clothes didn't fit her anymore and were covered with poison. Going shirtless or carrying a naked little child both contained high levels of indecency.

"Felix we've been friends for sometime…" Demetri said going into his flatter voice.

"It's pathetic to see you trying to plead. Here," Felix took off his cloak and gave to Demetri. Demetri pulled her out and quickly wrapped her up in the cloak. Felix grabbed her fallen V necklace and lifted up another one they had not seen before.

"You think it was hers?"

"Did she have a rose necklace?"

"Just bring it anyway we don't have time."

()()()()()()()()()

Demetri looked down at the ground as a group of children ran by. He had been sitting, Calandra sleeping in his arms, on this stone bench for a few minutes now

Too much smoke had risen in the air and people were noticing it. Not the whole town of course, it always those kinds of people who had some neurotic attributes. A comment was made between neighbors while Demetri and Felix passed on the shaded road. Did you see the smoke-of course, who didn't? Suspects were named and an average line up was formed. The Barnes boys had left with their axes this morning. Edgar also came by with his rod complimenting the nice weather for fishing. A new neighbor might have taken up residence in the woods.

Or the vampires are back again, a newcomer to the conversation said like he was announcing the weather. The two women looked at him unfazed by his oddball comment. You still believe that was what you saw William the plump stated rather than asked. She picked up her basket of greens and announced how with all this excitement about smoke was a poor excuse for her idleness. The others said good bye and continued.

Demetri attempted not to be awkward and make them think of him in any other way than a normal passerby. Of course that caused him to stare gawkily straight in front of them. He thought he could see them staring at him in his peripherals. The conversation only slowed a bit at the new distraction of people passing by and there was no mentioning of Demetri or Felix.

Demetri felt relieved that the trees were so thick that the sunlight could not expose their real identity to this supposed witness of their kind. Staying around to hear the rumors that circulated in the nearby ran some risks but this gentleman seemed adamant in his words. There was no "maybes" or "I thoughts" in his vocabulary. That man had seen a vampire and he was not allowing his belief to waver.

"I'm going to go later and investigate," the man said.

"Are you going to dig around like last time?" the women asked. She was more convinced in his word than the other one.

"Most likely, though I'm not the strapping young lad I used to be. Well I should be off to my shop. Have a good day, Jean."

Felix and Demetri immediately agreed that it would be wise to do something to distract that man from going out into the woods. Demetri's eyes were still red, from a recent feeding, forcing him to stay behind with Calandra and avoid eye contact or sun.

The sky over this town was muddy just like the ground. A grey shadow covered more than half of the square assuring that there was no chance of a stray ray hitting Demetri's exposed face. People passed by frequently but with so much space they rarely came close.

Calandra slept undisturbed in his lap. Every once in a while she would snuggle deeper into her cloak cocoon. For a while before, he had begun debating if she was really alive or if he was just carrying a child's cadaver around. It was so hard to tell when she naturally didn't have a heartbeat.

Demetri tried to remember his own heartbeat, how it pounded so fiercely when he ran through the hills of Greece. He couldn't recall anything but a jumbled colorless view of his feet hitting the ground. The feeling though was not lost with the change to vampirism. It was the same time of year as it was now, when spring began to revolt against the oppressive winter.

_Waaahhh_

Tears fell from Calandra's tightly closed eyes as her head emerged from her cloak cocoon. She pounded her head against his chest, wailing even louder.

"What's wrong?" He asked her hoping that she would stop crying. People passing by glanced over at the source of the disruptive noise in their quiet lives. If he didn't calm her down someone would come over. How long would he be able to avoid eye-contact?

Calandra was having an easier time with that issue. Her eyes still refused to open despite Demetri constantly asking her why she was so upset. She had to still be asleep.

He hoisted her up near his shoulder getting ready to escape before anybody approached him.

"Is she okay?" Demetri froze, staring at the ground halfway up. He paused unsure if yes would satisfy the worried villager's inquiry.

"Yes, she's fine-" he was cut-off by another wail from Calandra. "She just woke up."

"Oh, she must be hungry." Demetri sat back down pretending to be focused completely on Calandra. He could sense the other person rummaging through a basket and then extending a piece of bread to him. His hand shook slightly as he reached to take it from them still lowering his head to avoid eye contact. Calandra still cried latching an arm around his neck.

Suddenly, the world went blurry and dull. Colors were significantly less vivid and it felt colder. A pounding feeling came from his chest and everyone seemed to go quiet. _What's happening?_ Demetri thought. The small particles of dirt that was on his hand before was gone and his clothes were not as detailed as he remembered. He felt vulnerable with this blurry sight. Nothing was as clear as it was before.

"It's fine you can take it." The person pushed the bread into his hand. Demetri looked up at this person oddly not as worried of being revealed. Nothing was as clear as before was incorrect; In front of him he saw the one thing that was still perfectly detailed.

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